Orange Walk Businessman Remanded After Missing Court on Scam Charge

An Orange Walk businessman was remanded to the Belize Central Prison after he failed to appear in a Belize City Magistrate’s court for a hearing. Thirty-nine-year-old Jonathan Alexander Burgos, owner of Rocks Sales & Deals, was arrested earlier this year for allegedly scamming a Belize Coast Guard officer out of five thousand dollars in a fake vehicle sale on Facebook. Burgos was out on bail but failed to show up for his court dates in July, leading to a bench warrant being issued. He was brought before a magistrate yesterday after being apprehended by police and spending a night at the station. In court, he apologized for his absence, claiming he was working on San Pedro and was unsure of his court date. The magistrate found his excuse unacceptable and unjustified. Burgos’s freedom is now at risk because his surety has informed the court that he wishes to revoke Burgos’s bail, stating that Burgos would not respond to his calls and was not appearing for his court dates. We’ll be following up on his bail hearing in a subsequent newscast.