Former City Councilor's Criminal Case Still Pending

Those hoping to see a swift conclusion to the embarrassing criminal charges faced by former Marco Island City Councilor Victor Rios were disappointed when a July 15 trial date came and went without any progress.

The former councilor turned himself in to the Jacksonville County Sheriff’s Office on February 5, 2021, after an arrest warrant was issued on six third-degree felony counts alleging the forging of documents in the 2019 Belize Condominium Association election. He was booked and subsequently posted a bond of $30,000. On February 9, he waived his right to a speedy trial and requested a trial by jury.

In a May hearing, which Rios attended via video conferencing and sat uncharacteristically quiet, Collier County Superior Court Justice Romiro Mañalich set July 15 as the trial date for his court case. 

The Belize Condominium Association had shown that 144 ballots were received out of the 148 owners eligible to vote during the election. It is alleged that 16 of those ballots were not submitted by their owners, as detailed in a complaint filed with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) on April 26, 2019. Of those sixteen owners, ten have filed notarized affidavits alleging fraud in the election process.

There is a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each conviction and a maximum fine of up to $5000 for each offense. Rios therefore could be facing a 30-year incarceration and a fine of up to $30,000. There is no minimum sentence for a third-degree felony in Florida.

The Coastal Breeze News has learned that attorneys for Mr. Rios have begun conducting a series of depositions from those who have signed affidavits alleging wrongdoing by Mr. Rios. Those depositions may continue on into the Fall. The Collier County Clerk of Courts record shows the case as “pending,” with no court date set.