AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A judge has moved the criminal trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to Houston after uprooting the case from the Republican’s hometown.
State District Judge George Gallagher made the decision Tuesday after special prosecutors argued they couldn’t get a fair trial in the conservative Dallas suburb of McKinney, where Paxton lives. Paxton was indicted in 2015 on felony securities fraud charges over allegations he duped investors in a tech startup.
His trial was originally scheduled for May before the judge granted a venue change. A new trial date hasn’t been set.
Gallagher says he chose Harris County because it can accommodate the trial and because attorneys on both sides are based in Houston.
Paxton has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faces 5 to 99 years in prison.
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