Rios calls accusation about residence a political dirty trick

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office is looking into a claim that Pete Rios, chairman of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors, does not lawfully reside within the boundaries of the district he represents.

The claim was made in an anonymous letter sent to the Pinal County’s Sheriff’s Office.

The letter claims Rios resides mainly in Apache Junction, not Dudleyville. It also alleges Rios “stole” taxpayer money through gas reimbursements.

The Sheriff’s Office released the letter to the media Monday, along with a statement saying the letter was forwarded to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office for investigation. Charges, if brought, could include felony theft and fraudulent schemes.

“These are serious allegations against a well known political leader and chairman of our Board of Supervisors,” said Sheriff Paul Babeu. “The allegations are best investigated by a neutral outside authority. Transparency will prove to be the best manner in which to overcome the past reputation of corruption in Pinal County.”

However, Rios calls the letter and media blitz nothing more than dirty politics. “This was contrived to make me look bad,” Rios said.

Rios does not deny he owns several homes Pinal County and that he stays in those homes when convenient. “If I have a meeting I need to go, and one of my other residences is close, I will stay there,” he said.

However, he said his primary residence is Dudleyville. “It is where I am registered to vote. It is the city on my driver license. It is where I go to church, and it is where I raised my children.”

This is not the first time Rios’s place of residence has been called into question. Shortly after being elected to the state legislature in the 1980s, Rios said his opponent filed a motion in court challenging his primary residence.

“The judge came back and ruled in my favor,” he said. “I have a court ruling showing Dudleyville is in fact my primary residence.”

Rios added that during his more than 30 years in politics the issue of where he lives has come up multiple times. “They can’t beat me on the issues so they try to bring stuff like this up,” he said.

This current accusation is part of a power play by the sheriff to gain leverage over the Board of Supervisors, according to Rios. “The sheriff is trying to get control of his own budget and doesn’t want to have to come to the board to get expenditures approved,” Rios said. “These are tactics that Sheriff Babeu, PIO Tim Gaffney and their political cronies have stooped to in order to silence board members who dare to oppose Sheriff Babeu.”

Rios Case to AG