Antonio Soto Díaz
| Antonio Soto Díaz | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Puerto Rico Senate from the Guayama district |
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In office January 2, 2009 – September 16, 2011 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 9, 1949 Patillas, Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 4, 2016 (aged 66) Arroyo, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | New Progressive Party |
| Spouse(s) | Agnes López |
| Profession | Politician |
Antonio "Toñito" Soto Díaz (August 9, 1949 – January 4, 2016), commonly known as El Chuchín, was a Puerto Rican politician and former Senator.
Antonio Soto Díaz was born on August 9, 1949 in Patillas, Puerto Rico. He is the son of farmer Jesús Soto de Jesús and Juana Díaz Torres. He completed his elementary school at the Second Unit School of Pitahaya in Arroyo, and in 1967 graduated from Carmen Bozello de Huke High School. That same year, he began his studies at the Guayama Catholic University, transferring to the Ponce campus later. In 1977, he completed his Bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in French.
Soto described himself in an interview as a "hard worker". He said he worked as a barber, school teacher, butcher, carpenter, among other jobs.
In 1978, Soto began law studies in Ponce. At the same time, he entered the professional world, developing an interest in auto sales. He decided to move to Florida and in 1989 became an auto salesman. In 1996, he returned to Puerto Rico, establishing his own auto dealer called Toñito Soto Auto Sales, in Arroyo.
Soto Díaz was elected to the Senate of Puerto Rico for the Guayama District at the 2008 general elections. Soto received 24.96% of the votes, along with Carlos Javier Torres from the same party. During his time in the Senate, Soto was President of the Committee of Commerce and Cooperativism, as well as Vice-president of the Committees of Banking, Consumer Affairs and Public Corporations. He was also a member of the Committees of Agriculture and Government.
On May 31, 2011, Soto admitted that someone had given him a car, specifically a Bentley, because he "was a good guy". This ignited an investigation from the Ethics Committee on the senator's finances which showed some irregularities. Aside of this, there were lawsuits filed by members of his party (Thomas Rivera Schatz) and of the opposing party (Eder Ortiz), among others.
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