Mescalero Man Sentenced for Domestic Violence

ALBUQUERQUE – A Mescalero man was sentenced to 90 months in prison after being convicted by a federal jury of assaulting his intimate partner by repeatedly strangling her.

There is no parole in the federal system.

A federal jury convicted Theodore Ian Chavez, IV, on February 28, 2024, following a four-day trial. According to evidence presented at trial and other publicly available court records, in the early morning hours of August 6, 2023, Chavez strangled and assaulted Jane Doe multiple times, resulting in the loss of consciousness and visible bruises.

After the assault, Jane Doe sought medical attention. As a result of the strangulation, Jane Doe had difficulty talking, eating, and drinking fluids, as well as bruises, redness, petechiae, and venous congestion.

At trial, Jane Doe described how she experienced severe pain, and that she thought she was going to die when Chavez was on top of her squeezing her neck and screaming that it was her fault.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Chavez will be required to serve 3 years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

The Las Cruces Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joni Autrey Stahl and J. Kirk Williams are prosecuted the case.

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