Rios Gets Probation

A conclusion has finally been reached in the Victor Rios trial which included allegations of 2019 election tampering, in one of Marco’s most expensive Gulf front condominiums.

During a one-week trial in late April of this year, former Belize Condominium Board President Victor Rios was found guilty by a jury of his peers on three fraud charges involving the election held in 2019. Those charges involved the fraudulent use of personal information during the 2019 election process. Rios was found not guilty of forgery charges.

However, Collier County Superior Court Judge Christopher H. Brown showed leniency when sentencing Rios, choosing to “withhold adjudication” during the sentencing process and placing Rios on two years of probation. Judge Brown, after hearing the jury’s verdict, immediately indicated he was not considering imposing jail time for the 80-year-old former city councilor. Rios was facing up to five years of jail time for each count, for a total of 15 years.

Florida state law allows a judge to impose a special sentence in which the judge orders probation but does not formally convict the defendant of a criminal offense. Florida Statute Section 948.01 vests Florida judges with the authority to withhold adjudication after the judge imposes a probation sentence.