Texas Attorney General to Pay $300,000 in Compensation in Fraud Case Settlement

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton agreed Tuesday to pay compensation of nearly $300,000 in an agreement to end a criminal fraud case that has dogged the Republican since he took office nearly a decade ago, prosecutors announced in court. In Houston.

In less than three weeks, Paxton had to appear in a trial that, if found guilty, could sentence him to prison. The case filed in 2015 accused him of defrauding investors in a new technology company based near Dallas.

Under the agreement, special prosecutors in the case drop three criminal charges against Paxton.. He must fully compensate the victims, perform 100 hours of community service and take a 15-hour course in legal ethics.

Paxton was in the courtroom, but did not speak except to tell state Judge Andrea Beall that he had signed the agreement.

If convicted at trial, Paxton could have received a sentence of life in prison.

The agreement with prosecutors, which allows Paxton to retain his elected office and his license to practice law, It means a huge legal and political victory for one of the most prominent Republican attorneys in the country. Six months ago, Paxton was acquitted of corruption charges in an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate.

The resolution of the stock fraud case means a drastic change in the political fortunes of Paxton, who just a year ago He appeared to be in danger both from the criminal case and from the threat of losing his job after his top collaborators reported him to the FBI..

Paxton, who appears emboldened, does not rule out challenging Republican Senator John Cornyn for the seat in 2026.

However, his legal problems have not completely disappeared, as a federal investigation investigates some of the accusations presented in his impeachment trial.