Anthony Cobos ordered to pay restitution, 5 yrs probation

A former El Paso county judge was given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay restitution after being found guilty of tricking a New Mexico family out of their savings Friday.

Earlier this month, Anthony Cobos, 48, was convicted of embezzlement (over $20,000), a second-degree felony. The defendant is already serving a four-year sentence for a 2013 federal corruption conviction.

During Friday’s hearing, District Attorney Mark D’Antonio argued for jail time and restitution.

Instead, District Judge Marci Beyer suspended the defendant’s nine-year sentence and gave him five years probation, which he’ll begin serving after his current sentence.

The defendant was also ordered to pay the victims at least $28,675 in restitution.

District Attorney Mark D’Antonio said “Obviously, the goal was to make the victims in this case whole again. Today’s sentence is less than what we were seeking but it will give the victims some closure.”

According to investigators, the defendant took more than $40,000 in payments from the victims who thought they were buying a home. However, the defendant and his wife did not use the couple’s money to pay the mortgage and the property became subject to foreclosure.