Texas AG Ken Paxton Faces New Investigation Under Bribery Statute Over $100K Gift

AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is being investigated under bribery and corrupt influence laws for accepting a six-figure gift from an individual who was under investigation by the state for fraud, the district attorney leading the probe confirmed Thursday.In July 2016, Austin-based medical device company Preferred Imaging, LLC agreed to pay a $3.5 million settlement after a a multi-year Medicaid and Medicare fraud investigation. The year before, Preferred Imaging's CEO James Webb had given $100,000 to help Paxton fight criminal fraud charges the attorney general has been battling since July 2015.On Thursday, Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that she has been investigating whether Paxton broke state laws that put limits on gifts public servants can receive from people "subject to (their) jurisdiction" in connection to the Webb donation. The complaint was originally made to the Texas Rangers by the attorney of the same whistleblower that launched the investigation into Preferred Imaging."There is an active investigation looking into that matter," Wiley told The Dallas Morning News. "We are carefully and thoroughly going through every piece of evidence."Wiley, a Republican, added she was close to deciding whether to send the case to a grand jury and said she's received "great cooperation" from both the Texas Rangers and Paxton's legal team.Paxton's attorneys and spokesman did not respond Thursday to requests for comment.  Continue reading...