A Texas judge forced a public children’s mental health program to replace a highly regarded and efficient company with a firm owned by his longtime friend, even though it charged taxpayers double and lacked the expertise to do the job.
The unethical and controversial move has put El Paso District Judge Alfredo Chavez at the center of a federal investigation because his friend’s company did in fact get the lucrative contract and he cheated the county out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now El Paso County officials are suing LKG Enterprises, which was supposed to perform evaluations for the Children’s Mental Health Collaborative, for fraud. The judge’s good buddy, Ruben Garcia, owns the firm and is under federal investigation.
Authorities say LKG lacked the expertise, personnel and credentials necessary to carry out its duties under the county contract and failed to provide required reports for a year. Officials say the judge’s friend took about $600,000 yet did nothing for the mentally ill children’s program.
The children’s collaborative was created to treat El Paso County’s severely mentally ill kids locally rather than send them out of the area for treatment at a huge expense to taxpayers. It is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and has helped dozens of children over the years. One county commissioner says the problems created by LKG nearly wrecked the collaborative and have cost the county more than $1 million to repair.
Chavez, a Democrat who is running for reelection of his 65th District Court judgeship, denies any wrongdoing and avidly defends his buddy’s company despite a scathing federal audit that trashes it. “My conscience is clear,” he said at a candidate’s forum this week.
Comments
Kick-backs?
Is the FBI investigating this judge for kick-backs from his friend? Sounds like a scam deal for a friend that gets money back into the judges pocket. Hope this "reelection" kicks him out of office. If he would cheat mentally ill kids, who would he not cheat?
Bought and paid for,
I believe this goes much deeper than just this judge. From what I can tell using the research I have done. The department of health and human services employs the office of childrens services and the juvenille justice to take care of the abused and deliquent children of our state. They have little to no accountability. They railroad parents through the courts farming the families out to their friends (therapists, doctors for meds, select foster parents, psychiatrists, inappropriate group homes, welfare, medicaid, child support etc..)they rape the parents finances, and torment the children in their care. These children grow up scared, scarred, and act out in anger at times. Then guess what? We end up with a bunch of homeless, juvilant, tormented, young adults and children. When caught they are sent to the juvenille justice dept or they are sent to jail. Where they endure some more torment in the hand of their new captor.
Sounds good in theory but, as the story goes, these agencies and departments suck up all the money and little if any gets to its legally required destination. The client.
Point being, the JUDGES are the ones allowing these agencies to operate illegally and with no accountability. I am fighting this battle. But it is a difficult task at times.
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