BRIGHTON — A judge denied Sam Gomez, former Adams County construction manager, bail that could have let him remain free while appealing his four-year sentence in the Quality Paving scandal.
Judge Steven Eugene Shinn allowed Gomez almost 48 hours to turn himself in to begin serving his sentence, ordering him to report for prison by 3 p.m. Wednesday.
While , his time as a free man was temporarily extended to allow Monday’s hearing to take place.
A total of seven people were charged in the Quality Paving scandal, in which company officials and workers in Adams County allegedly carried out an elaborate scheme in which they billed taxpayers $1.7 million for work that was never done.
Gomez is one of three people convicted and sentenced to prison; two others pleaded guilty to lesser charges and agreed to testify; one was acquitted by a jury; and one trial is still pending.
In fighting to keep Gomez free, his attorney, Joseph Saint-Veltri, argued that there was no fair way for the judge to consider factors such as evidence of duress in the commission of the crime, or a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shinn agreed with prosecutors, who objected to allowing Gomez to remain free on bond and said that the chances of success of an appeal on that basis are “slim to none.”
“At the time of sentencing, the court had a great deal of information, including a pre-sentence investigation report,” Shinn said. “I at this point would find the record supports the notion that the court took into account all of these factors.”
Next month, the court is also scheduled to take up the amount of restitution Gomez will be required to pay.
