AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A judge is postponing the criminal trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and is moving the case from the Republican’s hometown.
The decision Thursday comes a month before Paxton was scheduled to face a jury on felony securities fraud charges. He’s accused of steering investors toward a tech startup without disclosing he was being paid by the company.
State District Judge George Gallagher didn’t immediately set a new date or venue for the trial.
The delay comes after prosecutors threatened to quit the case over not being paid. They say they’re owed more than $200,000 and haven’t been paid in more than a year. That money is tied up in court after a Paxton supporter sued over the mounting legal fees footed by taxpayers.
Paxton has pleaded not guilty.