Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Avoids Trial, Settles Fraud Charges

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) reached an agreement with prosecutors on Tuesday to forgo facing trial for criminal securities fraud charges.

For Context: Paxton was indicted by state prosecutors in 2015 over securities fraud charges. Prosecutors alleged that Paxton tricked people into investing in a tech startup prior to becoming Attorney General.

Details: Prosecutors agreed to drop three felony counts against Paxton. In return, Paxton must pay $300,000 in restitution to victims, complete 100 hours of community service, and attend 15 hours of legal ethics education. Paxton was set to stand trial in less than a month and potentially faced prison time.

Key Quotes: Paxton released a statement following the announcement, reading, “There will never be a conviction in this case nor am I guilty.” Paxton’s lawyer Dan Cogdell stated, “This case has been pending literally longer than the Beatles were together, it was time to move on.” Houston attorney Brian Wice, the special prosecutor on the case, stated, “Our primary duty is to do justice, not to convict. So, the question isn’t whether or not who won, but was justice served? And I think the answer to that is unmistakably yes.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum described the settlement as a legal and political victory for Paxton, who survived an impeachment vote last May. Reuters (Center bias) characterized Paxton as a “conservative firebrand who has been dogged by corruption allegations since taking office in 2014.”

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade.

The announcement by special prosecutors in a Houston courtroom came less than three weeks before Paxton was set to stand trial on felony charges that could have led to a prison sentence. It was the closest Paxton — who was indicted in 2015 — has ever come to trial over accusations that he duped investors in a tech startup near Dallas.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has struck a deal to resolve securities fraud charges brought by state prosecutors nearly a decade ago, his lawyers said on Tuesday.

Paxton, a Republican and ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, was indicted in July 2015 on charges related to stock sales and compensation from the Texas technology firm Servergy. He also faced charges of acting as a securities agent without registering with the state.

Defense lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton scored a major victory Tuesday as special prosecutors announced a deal to forego a trial on securities fraud charges against the politician nearly a decade after he was indicted.

Prosecutors announced Tuesday morning that they had reached a deal to dismiss charges against the third-term Republican attorney general. Paxton was first indicted in 2015.