Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton‘s criminal fraud case was dismissed Wednesday after he paid $271,000 in restitution to his accusers and completed over 100 hours of community service.
Texas filed motions to dismiss the three felony securities fraud charges against Paxton in the Harris County District Court, special prosecutors Brian Wice and Jed Silverman said in a joint statement.
In March 2024, Paxton agreed to a deal in which he was required to meet several requirements of his pretrial intervention within 18 months. If he had failed to fulfill the terms within that time, a new trial date would have been set.
By agreeing to the deal last year, Paxton did not admit guilt.
Paxton was accused of defrauding investors by soliciting investments for a Texas-based tech startup without disclosing he was being compensated with the company’s stock. The attorney general was then indicted on charges of multiple felonies by a Collin County grand jury in July 2015.
At the time, Paxton pleaded not guilty. The case lasted for almost a decade.
“As prosecutors, Jed Silverman and I took an oath not to convict but to seek justice for Mr. Paxton, the victims, and the people of the state of Texas,” Wice said. “To be sure, justice was delayed. But to be equally sure, justice was not denied because today’s resolution was the fair, right, and just outcome for both sides.”
According to the prosecutors, Paxton paid “full and complete” restitution to the victims, Byron and Kay Cook, and the estate of Joel Hochberg. He also completed community service at a not-for-profit in Collin County.
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Additionally, Paxton was required to take 15 hours of legal ethics courses through the State Bar of Texas. He completed 30 hours of the online ethics training.
The case’s dismissal was a victory for Paxton, who is running for the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections. In April, the attorney general launched his Senate campaign to challenge incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).