Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution under an agreement with federal prosecutors that will drop nine years of fraud charges against him. did. Paxton had maintained his innocence.
Prosecutors announced the verdict in a Houston courtroom weeks before Paxton was to go on trial, and if convicted he could have been sentenced to 99 years in prison.
Paxton’s attorney, Dan Cogdell, told FOX News Digital following the announcement, “The state finally realized it couldn’t prove the charges and made an offer that I, in good faith, couldn’t advise my client to turn down. ” he said.
“Whenever a prosecutor presents a clear path to dropping all charges against my client, I will encourage them to take that path. Only a fool would not do so,” he said. .
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Texas Attorney General Ken sits with attorneys Dan Cogdell (right) and Tony Buzbee (left) during the impeachment trial in the Senate chamber of the Texas State Capitol on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 in Austin, Texas.・Paxton (center). (Juan Figueroa/Dallas Morning News, Associated Press, Pool)
Cogdell said at a news conference Tuesday that Paxton is “willing to abide by the agreement” and avoid a federal trial.
“We’re happy to be able to end this. 18 months from now, or even less, this case will be dismissed. There will never be a conviction, and Ken Paxton At least today I can go back in time and start doing what I should have done all along and that’s representing the state of Texas. ”
“This case was actually a case where we knew all along that they couldn’t prove it…9 years in, we still know they couldn’t prove it,” Cogdell said. “You don’t go to court to prove your innocence. The Constitution says the exact opposite.”
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In July 2015, before he was sworn in as the state’s top law enforcement officer, Paxton was charged with misleading and defrauding investors in a wealthy tech startup and that the startup had hired him to promote its assets. He was charged with failing to disclose that he had paid money.
A Texas grand jury indicted Paxton on charges of first-degree securities fraud and failure to register. Mr. Paxton was also fined in 2014 for failing to disclose to Texas securities regulators that he earned fees for soliciting investors.
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Exterior of the Texas State Capitol on September 5, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The agreement exonerating Paxton, which requires him to pay full restitution to his victims and complete 100 hours of community service and 15 hours of legal education classes, is the AG’s second in recent months. It was a decisive victory.
In September 2023, Mr. Paxton was acquitted on all charges of corruption and unfitness to hold office. He was facing charges such as: abused his political power It was to help real estate developer Nate Paul, an allegation that stemmed from a lawsuit filed by four former employees who reported him to the FBI.
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FOX News’ Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
