'Family friends' of indicted Texas attorney general help foot legal bill
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, facing federal and state securities fraud charges, is getting more than a little help from his friends to foot his growing legal bill.
The Republican accepted more than $329,000 earmarked for his legal defense from donors and “family friends,” according to a newly released financial disclosure statement.
The document, which Paxton filed to the Texas Ethics Commission on Friday, shows gifts from more than two dozen people or couples labeled “family friends.”
That included a $100,000 gift from James Webb, a CEO of a medical imaging firm who lives in Frisco and is a major Paxton donor. He and his living trust have donated more than $355,000 to Paxton’s campaign.
Steven and Carrie Parsons, who have also donated thousands of dollars to Paxton’s campaign, chipped in $75,000 for his legal bills — the second-biggest gift, according to the filing.
Paxton is accused of misleading investors in a technology company — raising hundreds of thousands of dollars without disclosing that he was making a commission.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a civil lawsuit against him, and he faces three felony criminal counts in a Collin County court. Paxton has vehemently denied the accusations, and pleaded not guilty on all the criminal charges.
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