Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has raised $329,050 to pay for attorneys defending him from criminal securities fraud charges.
The money came from 24 people, or couples, identified as “family friends” in his 2015 financial disclosure statement, which was filed Friday with the Texas Ethics Commission.
Most of the donors come from Collin County. Paxton is from McKinney.
The largest single donation was $100,000 from James Webb, of Frisco, according to the document. Webb owns a medical imaging company, Preferred Imaging, and is a major Paxton donor.
Paxton was indicted last year on three felony charges accusing him of conning investors out of money and failing to register as an investment advisor representative. The alleged crimes were committed when Paxton was a state representative – before he was elected attorney general.
Paxton supporters have criticized the special prosecutors in the case for what they see as excessive fees. The prosecutors, based in Houston, are paid $300 per hour.
Friday’s financial disclosure was the first indication of how much the attorney general has raised to pay for his defense.
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"The financial burden of defending against politically motivated prosecutions can be significant," Paxton campaign spokesman Matt Welch said in an emailed statement. "Attorney General Paxton is grateful for the support of his friends in fighting back against these false allegations."
Special prosecutor Brian Wice declined to comment.
