Judge sets trial date in for Texas AG Ken Paxton’s delayed securities fraud case

Eight years after being indicted for felony securities fraud, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton finally has a trial date.

During a Monday hearing, State District Judge Andrea Beall set an April 15 start for the trial in Houston, the Texas Tribune reports. The trial has been delayed by extensive legal wrangling by Paxton’s defense team over issues such as where the case should be heard.

Paxton, a Republican, was hit with two charges of securities fraud shortly into his first term as attorney general. He’s accused of trying to sell investments in a North Texas tech firm without revealing that he was being paid to promote the stock — a claim he’s denied.

Paxton didn’t speak during Monday’s hearing, according to the Tribune.

The state trial is one of several remaining legal woes for Paxton, who was recently acquitted in a Texas Senate impeachment trial on charges that he abused his office to offer favors to a key political donor.

Even though the GOP-controlled Texas Senate had no appetite to convict Paxton, he still faces a federal investigation into abuse-of-office claims made by his former top lieutenants.

Federal prosecutors also have empaneled a grand jury in San Antonio and called on witnesses close to Paxton to give testimony, the Austin-American statesman reported in August, citing people familiar with the matter.

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This article appears in Oct 18-30, 2023.