Attorney General Ken Paxton will be back in court Friday in a securities fraud case that has been open for nearly nine years.
Paxton was indicted in 2015 and could face trial as early as April 15, but according to the Dallas Morning News, Paxton is seeking to dismiss the case, arguing that delays have violated his constitutional right to a speedy trial.
The AG’s defense team argued that the State’s inactivity produced “worry, anxiety, employment and financial difficulties, and frustration upon Paxton.”
Special prosecutors in the case argued that Paxton was responsible for the delay because he had filed multiple appeals. They also argued that the case has not caused Paxton any worries or difficulties, as Paxton has been reelected AG twice in the past nine years and has gained considerable national visibility in the position.
“To be sure, Paxton has spent considerable time under indictment and spent a considerable amount of money to defend himself,” the prosecutors said. “But to be equally sure, he has done so while on bond, with a team of high-price lawyers, and a cadre of surrogates, spokespersons and sycophants who continue to spread his truth – not the truth – that he is the victim of a witch hunt.”
The case has been delayed over legal rights regarding where the trial should take place. Initially, prosecutors argued that a trial in Collin County, where Paxton lives, would not be fair, and in 2017 the case was moved to Harris County.
Paxton’s attorneys objected and the case was returned to Collin County, but last year prosecutors succeeded on appeal and the trial was again moved to Harris County.
Paxton was indicted in 2015 on two felony fraud charges, accused of encouraging investors to put more than $600,000 into a tech company without telling them he would make a commission on their investment. According to the charges, he also falsely represented himself as an investor in the company.
He is also accused of steering clients to a friend’s investment firm without registering with state regulators.
Paxton has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, but if he is found guilty, he could face up to 99 years in prison as well as fines if convicted of the fraud charges.
Paxton is also facing a whistleblower lawsuit that could lead to Paxton testifying about his dealings with a federal real estate investor, and an ethics complaint for allegedly going to the U.S. Supreme Court when he said Texas had evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
