Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton avoided going to trial for felony securities fraud charges on Tuesday when he reached a deal with the prosecution, the Daily Caller News Foundation confirmed.
Paxton was initially charged nine years ago for allegedly defrauding investors of a technology company without disclosing that he was being paid by the firm to solicit them, according to The Texas Tribune. The attorney general will avoid the charges if he puts up 100 hours of community service, takes 15 hours of advanced legal education courses and pays roughly $271,000 in restitution to individuals he’s accused of defrauding, special prosecutor Brian Wice confirmed to the DCNF.
“Nine years ago, I swore an oath to the people of the State of Texas as a special prosecutor to seek justice and not merely to convict,” Wice said in a statement. “The agreement that I entered into with Mr. Paxton not only achieves the finality that this matter deserves, secures justice for Mr. Paxton, the State of Texas, and most importantly for the victims in this case who have been made whole as a result of Mr. Paxton making complete restitution to them, something most victims are never able to receive.”
“At the end of the day, we believed that this resolution — while far from perfect — was the most fair, just, and equitable resolution driven by the law and the facts in this proceeding,” Wice added.
“The state has made an offer, which we have accepted, to dismiss the case upon Mr. Paxton doing a few things. He is more than happy to comply with that agreement,” Dan Cogdell, Paxton’s attorney, said in a press conference on Tuesday. “At the end of the day, it is not a plea bargain, he didn’t plead. There is no admission of guilt, there will never be an admission of guilt because he’s not guilty. But we’re glad to have this behind us.”
Paxton had already pleaded not guilty ahead of the agreement, which was made just weeks before the April 15 trial date, according to The Washington Post.
“Eighteen months from now, or perhaps shorter, the case will be dismissed. There will never be a conviction, and Ken Paxton, at least today, can begin to go back and do what he should have been doing all along — and that is representing the state of Texas,” Cogdell added.
Paxton’s legal win follows the September acquittal of impeachment articles the Republican-held state House brought against him in 2023. The impeachment efforts stemmed from alleged corruption, obstruction, bribery and other accusations related to the FBI’s investigation into Paxton donor and real estate developer, Nate Paul.
