🤠 Ken Paxton's record: diversion deal, $6.67M award, acquittal
Paxton denies wrongdoing, his lawyer says the diversion deal carried no admission, and he was appealing the $6.67M ruling as of June 2025. 🗣️
By Mr Scandal, editor at large · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 5 min read
DISMISSEDPhoto: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0By the numbers
- 11 yrsfrom first to latest entry on record
- 10receipts behind this story
Ken Paxton's legal file runs on three tracks: a securities fraud indictment that ended in a diversion deal and a dismissal, a whistleblower case that produced a $6.67 million ruling, and a Senate impeachment trial that ended in acquittal. Here they are in order, each tied to the outlet that read the paperwork. Paxton has denied wrongdoing in each of them.
What we know
- A grand jury in McKinney, Texas, indicted Paxton on two counts of first-degree securities fraud and one count of third-degree failure to register, the New York Times reported on August 1, 2015.
- Under a March 2024 pretrial diversion deal, Paxton agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution, the AP reported. Special prosecutors told CBS Texas in June 2025 that he met every term, and the state moved to dismiss the case.
- The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment in September 2023, the AP reported.
- CBS Texas reported that an April ruling awarded four former Paxton employees $6.67 million, and that Paxton is appealing it.
The securities case, 2014 to 2015
2014: a $1,000 fine he did not dispute
The Texas State Securities Board reprimanded Paxton in 2014 for soliciting clients for Mowery Capital Management without being registered, the New York Times reported, citing the board's disciplinary order. Paxton signed the order and did not dispute the findings. He was fined $1,000 and faced no criminal prosecution at that stage, the Times said.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)August 2015: a three-count indictment
A grand jury in McKinney handed up an indictment of two first-degree securities fraud counts and one third-degree failure-to-register count, the New York Times reported on August 1, 2015, citing officials. Special prosecutor Kent Schaffer said Paxton was accused of encouraging friends in 2011 to put more than $600,000 into Servergy Inc. without telling them he was earning a commission. Paxton's lawyer, Joe Kendall, said both sides were honoring a judge's instruction not to comment. A Paxton spokesman had earlier called the case a political witch hunt.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)August 3, 2015: booked, released, plea promised
The indictments were unsealed in a Collin County courthouse, and the Houston Chronicle reported that Paxton was released on a total of $35,000 in personal recognizance bonds. Kendall said in an emailed statement that Paxton would plead not guilty and demand a jury trial. Gov. Greg Abbott's statement, quoted by the Chronicle, called the indictment the first step in a lengthy process.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)The whistleblowers and the impeachment, 2023
February 2023: a $3.3 million tentative deal and an apology
Paxton and four former top deputies who said he fired them for accusing him of crimes reached a tentative agreement under which his office would pay $3.3 million, the Texas Tribune reported. The text included his apology for calling them 'rogue employees' and a line saying neither side admits fault. Paxton said in a statement that he settled to save taxpayer dollars and put the matter to rest.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)May 2023: 20 articles of impeachment and a suspension
A Republican-controlled Texas House committee filed 20 articles of impeachment ranging from bribery to abuse of public trust, and Paxton was suspended after the chamber voted to impeach, the AP reported. Many of the allegations centered on help he allegedly gave a donor, real estate developer Nate Paul. Paxton said the charges were based on 'hearsay and gossip, parroting long-disproven claims.'
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)September 2023: acquitted on every article
The Texas Senate acquitted Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment that reached a verdict, and the AP reported that he returned to the job. CBS Texas reported that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the trial a waste of time and resources after the final vote.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)The Houston Chronicle counted the votes: conviction on any article needed 21 of 31 senators, and House prosecutors fell seven votes short. Only two Republican senators, Kelly Hancock and Robert Nichols, voted to convict, on a dozen charges. Sen. Charles Schwertner said in a statement that the burden of proof, 'beyond a reasonable doubt', was not met.
The endgame, 2024 to 2025
March 2024: pretrial diversion and about $300,000
At a hearing before Judge Andrea Beall in Houston on March 26, 2024, Paxton agreed to pretrial diversion and nearly $300,000 in restitution to end the securities fraud charges, the AP reported. Texas Scorecard reported that the terms also included more than 100 hours of community service and 30 hours of ethics training. Paxton's attorney, Dan Cogdell, said the deal carried no admission of guilt.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)"There will never be a conviction in this case nor am I guilty."
Ken Paxton, when the diversion deal was reached, as quoted by Texas Scorecard
April 2025: a $6.67 million ruling for the former employees
CBS Texas reported that a ruling issued in April awarded the four former employees $6.67 million, and that Paxton is appealing it. CBS also reported that Paxton's office told the court it did not dispute any issue in the lawsuit and agreed to any judgment. The portion of the report read here does not name the court or give a ruling date.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)June 2025: the securities case is dismissed
The State of Texas filed motions to dismiss the felony case, and special prosecutors said Paxton had fulfilled all the terms and conditions of the deal, CBS Texas reported. Texas Scorecard reported that Judge Beall formally accepted the dismissal of all three felony indictments. The case took about nine years from indictment to dismissal.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)"Justice was delayed. But to be equally sure, justice was not denied."
Special prosecutors Brian Wice and Jed Silverman, joint statement, as quoted by Texas Scorecard
CBS Texas reported in June 2025 that Paxton had entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race in April, challenging incumbent John Cornyn. The documents read for this piece do not say how that race ended, and the Ledger says so.
Quick quiz · 3 questions
The Ken Paxton file
- Ruled
Judge Andrea Beall accepts dismissal of all three felony indictments, per Texas Scorecard. This story
- Ruled
Ruling awards four former employees $6.67 million; Paxton is appealing, per CBS Texas. This story
- Filed
Paxton agrees to pretrial diversion and nearly $300,000 in restitution in the securities fraud case, per the AP. This story
- Ruled
Texas Senate acquits Paxton on all 16 articles of impeachment, per the AP. This story
- Filed
Texas House committee files 20 articles of impeachment; Paxton calls them hearsay and gossip, per the AP. This story
- Filed
Tentative $3.3 million whistleblower settlement filed with the Texas Supreme Court, with no admission of fault by either side, per the Texas Tribune. This story
- Filed
Indictments unsealed: two first-degree securities fraud counts, one third-degree failure to register; Paxton to plead not guilty. This story
- Ruled
Texas State Securities Board reprimands Paxton for unregistered solicitation and fines him $1,000, per the New York Times. This story
On file: The Ken Paxton file
The Ledger
On the record
- Securities fraud charges against Paxton were dismissed in June 2025 after a pretrial diversion deal with nearly $300,000 in restitution and, per his lawyer, no admission of guilt. The Senate acquitted him on all 16 articles in September 2023. A ruling in April awarded former employees $6.67 million.
Still rumour
- The outcome of Paxton's appeal of the $6.67 million ruling is not confirmed in the documents read.
- How the 2026 Senate race ended is not confirmed in the documents read.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - Mr Scandal
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