The U.S. Attorney's Office has cleared a Democratic donor of wrongdoing in allegations that she caused indictments in a mortgage fraud case that led to contempt charges against the Dallas County district attorney, according court documents filed by her attorney.
The U.S. Attorney's Office found no evidence that Lisa Blue, a prominent Dallas attorney and campaign donor, violated any federal rules in the indictment of Al Hill III, according to a pleading her attorney filed in U.S. District Court.
District Attorney Craig Watkins is facing scrutiny over his office's prosecution of Hill, a great-grandson of oil titan H.L. Hunt for mortgage fraud. Hill's attorneys have accused Watkins of prosecuting the case as a favor to Blue.
"Lisa Blue's vindication further supports the district attorney's position that there was never improper influence or wrongdoing on the part of the DA's office regarding the indictment of Al Hill III," the district attorney's office said in a statement Monday.
State District Judge Lena Levario held Watkins in contempt earlier this year when he refused to answer questions about the Hill case. The judge also dismissed the charges against Hill.
Last month, Watkins asked that Levario be taken off the case, but Administrative Judge John Ovard ruled that she would not be removed.
The contempt case will continue later this month with a hearing before a third judge to determine if Watkins committed contempt.
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Levario has said that she thinks a fine is in order. The maximum is $500.
