A Moreno Valley school board member who was convicted of running a prostitution ring out of his home β once flashing his district business card to recruit a young woman β was sentenced Friday to 14 years in state prison. Riverside County Deputy Dist. Rios, shackled and dressed in a bright orange jail outfit, showed little emotion as the judge read the sentence in a Riverside courtroom.
Johnson said that he had pleaded with Rios, a member of the school board since , to resign for the benefit for the school district but that Rios had refused. In February, a jury convicted Rios of 23 felony charges, including a dozen counts of pimping, five counts of pandering and six counts of insurance fraud.
During the trial, young women testified that Rios ran a prostitution ring in and The young woman, identified in court only as Valery, testified that she and others worked as prostitutes for Rios. In addition, she said, she helped recruit other young women for him. Prosecutors said that Rios ran a prostitution ring out of his Moreno Valley home, that he acted as a pimp for three adult female prostitutes and that he tried to recruit another adult woman and two minors. Rios recruited women, took provocative photos of them in his home and posted the photos in online ads, they said.
Deputy Public Defender Michael J. Rios, 42, was arrested in February on attempted murder charges after, authorities say, he shot at two people near his home. The attempted murder case is pending. After both arrests last year, Rios returned to the five-member school board, which could not remove him unless he was convicted.
The board passed a resolution calling for Rios to resign, but he refused, board Vice President Tracey B. Vackar said. With his sentencing, Rios was automatically removed from the board Friday, Vackar said. The board must decide whether to appoint a member to fill his place or to hold a special election to fill his seat, she said.
