Last week, respected Texas watchdog group, Texans for Public Justice, filed an official criminal complaint with the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney against Republican candidate for Attorney General, Ken Paxton. The complaint lays out in straight-forward fashion that Paxton has violated Texas felony statutes involving state securities laws. Ironically, documents sworn to and signed by Paxton himself with the State Securities Board confirm his violation of Texas felony statutes.
If Paxton is convicted of committing a felony, he will be unqualified and ineligible to serve as Texas Attorney General.
Paxton spoke before the Texas Sheriffs Association today yet failed deny or even address the charges against him.
Below are links to news coverage of the criminal complaint filed against Paxton:
- Dallas Morning News 7/25/2014: Republican Attorney General nominee Ken Paxton is the focus of a criminal complaint regarding violations of the Texas Securities Act.
Texans for Public Justice, an ethics and campaign reform group, filed the complaint against Paxton with the Travis County District Attorney’s Office on July 14. The group made the complaint public on Friday.
- Austin American Statesman 7/25/2014: An Austin watchdog group has filed a criminal complaint against state Sen. Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for attorney general, for failing to register as an investment adviser as required by state law.
- Houston Chronicle 7/25/2014: The revelation that a criminal complaint has been filed against Republican state Sen. Ken Paxton is sure to boost Democrats’ hopes that his ethics record can at least keep the attorney general’s race interesting.
Texans for Public Justice, an ethics and campaign reform group based in Austin, said it had lodged the complaint July 18, pressing Travis County prosecutors to look into Paxton’s violation of a state securities law. The Texas State Securities Board reprimanded him and fined him $1,000 in May for selling securities for a North Texas investment firm without ever registering with the state.
- San Antonio Express News 7/25/2014: An Austin-based watchdog group filed a criminal complaint against the Republican candidate for attorney general, Ken Paxton, with the Travis County district attorney’s office last week, accusing him of violating criminal law by selling securities for a North Texas investment firm without registering with the state.
The criminal complaint follows civil action earlier this year.
- Law 360 7/25/2014: A Texas watchdog group has asked Austin’s district attorney to launch a formal criminal investigation into the Republican candidate for state attorney general after he admitted signing up clients for an investment firm without registering with the state, the group announced Friday.
- KRLD Radio
