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Calvin Walker and Dick DeGuerin
Convicted conman and former BISD contractor Calvin Walker could start spending his weekends in jail Nov. 11 should his attorneys fail in their efforts to convince a local judge that his case is still being appealed.
In a Nov. 8 hearing, Walker’s attorney’s Dick DeGuerin and Bryan Garris asked Criminal District Court Judge John Stevens if they could delay proceedings for a few more weeks while they file a petition for writ of certiorari before Walker begins his jail stay. According to uscourts.gov, this writ is a request for the Supreme Court to order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review.
“I don’t know of anything, at this stage after the mandate has been received – you have certiorari privileges, but I don’t know of anything that, by law, would prevent this court from ordering the execution of the sentence at this time,” Stevens said.
DeGuerin then asked Stevens if he could have a week to provide a brief of evidence supporting his claim. Stevens countered with 48 hours, scheduling Walker to reappear in court at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 10.
The criminal cases of Texas v Calvin Gary Walker are now eight years past presentation to a Jefferson County grand jury, and a decade past when the alleged offenses occurred.
July 2014, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office secured six felony indictments against Walker, including four charges of securing a document by deception and two charges of money laundering.
According to the indictments, from December 2008 through September 2009, Walker submitted fraudulent invoices to both BISD and the city of Port Arthur.
“The fraudulent invoices resulted in Walker being compensated for labor, materials and other expenses, which were never incurred concerning his work as a contractor on various projects, including temporary campuses at BISD’s South Park and Regina Howell schools, a softball field at Ozen, and Port Arthur parks,” an announcement from the prosecuting agency detailed.
Walker was given a jury trial in 2019, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office alleging the defendant secured payment of $1,172,656.92 that he was not entitled to via deceptive tactics utilized to separate the money from Beaumont school district officials charged with being stewards of the education funding. After a lengthy presentation from the prosecution and defense, jury deliberation resulted in a guilty verdict and subsequent sentencing.
Handed down in the punishment phase, Walker was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine on top of $1,172,656.92 in restitution, serve 10 years’ probation in lieu of a 10-year prison sentence, and serve 180 days in jail that can be accomplished by reporting for weekend confinement.