World Class Holdings offices raided

[TwiceHorn 31472]

Well, it says the matter was referred from Travis County DA Margaret Moore.  That must mean she/the office has a conflict.

Paxton/the Texas AG has little jurisdiction to investigate anything unless requested to do so, and even then, it probably amounts to appointing a prosecutor from another district/county to investigate.

If the investigation had originated with Paxton, I would agree smelly shitassery.  But since it apparently did not, there might be something to it.

[Updawg 2266]

Apparently may be a key word. And she has been pretty shitty so far and about to be gone

[DalTxHornFan 3101]

On 8/5/2020 at 5:27 PM, Updawg said:

Paxton must be involved with world class

Here we go.  Big story.  

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31472]

Well, those two would seem to deserve each other.

[Hank Scorpio 17729]

My prediction is that Prestige Worldwide was laundering cartel money and Paul was using his new found wealth to cut in politicians to real estate deals or just good old fashioned cash under the table. Paxton is fucking broke and stupid I’m sure he would take a big sack with dollar signs on it while saying “thank you for the bribe.” 

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Nate Paul/Prestige Worldwide is going to take down Ken Paxton?

[atomheartbevo 89670]

On 8/5/2020 at 6:44 PM, TwiceHorn said:

That must mean she/the office has a conflict.

Paxton/the Texas AG has little jurisdiction to investigate anything unless requested to do so

So this aged...interestingly.

So Paxton was investigating the federal agents that raided Nate Paul,'s offices and Paxton's staff quit because of his ties to Nate Paul. 

No wonder she wanted nothing to do with it.

This is going to be fucking hilarious when everything comes out.

[DaggerHorns 3085]

12 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

My prediction is that Prestige Worldwide was laundering cartel money and Paul was using his new found wealth to cut in politicians to real estate deals or just good old fashioned cash under the table. Paxton is fucking broke and stupid I’m sure he would take a big sack with dollar signs on it while saying “thank you for the bribe.” 

This is pretty much spot on. The rates of return have been unrealistic for many many years and too many shady people around town know that there’s something there.

I’ve always thought Nate was a real life Gus Fring.

[atomheartbevo 89670]

1 hour ago, DaggerHorns said:

I’ve always thought Nate was a real life Gus Fring.

So does this mean a TV series will be made, and can Clint Howard play Paxton?

[Guest Lobo]

Agent: "Hey Clint, how'd you like to play Ken Paxton in an upcoming Netflix series?"
Clint: "Boy, wood eye!"  

too soon?  Who would play Nate Paul?  A swarthy continental businessman with youth and financial intrigue swirling around him.  

csb/ I was once standing between Vince Young and Nate Paul at a bar, trying to get the bartender's attention.  I think about that moment and look back at it like Howard Cossell with Bruce Jenner and O.J. Simpson and think of that meme, "My fellow Texans, I have seen into the future and you're not gonna fucking believe this shit."  

[CooterBrown 18012]

14 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

My prediction is that Prestige Worldwide was laundering cartel money and Paul was using his new found wealth to cut in politicians to real estate deals or just good old fashioned cash under the table. Paxton is fucking broke and stupid I’m sure he would take a big sack with dollar signs on it while saying “thank you for the bribe.” 

Yep. You don't get to over $1B in real estate holdings in your early 30s without being into some shady shit.

[kevwun 15788]

Texas AG Tied to Cartel Money Laundering Operation would make a wonderful headline.

[Armybrat 40846]

7 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Texas AG Tied to Cartel Money Laundering Operation would make a wonderful headline.

 

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Wow, things literally escalated fast.  @TwiceHorn @Brisketexan @Ghost of LL etc. thoughts on how crazy this is?  Sounds like Paxton said to a private lawyer  "you're a special prosecutor representing the AG, start serving subpoenas!"

And Paxton didn't talk to any of his aides, he just appointed the guy.

https://www.statesman.com/news/20201005/attorney-general-ken-paxtonrsquos-choice-of-outside-lawyer-to-investigate-nate-paul-complaint-stunned-aides

Quote

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s seemingly unilateral appointment of an outside lawyer to take on a huge responsibility — investigating allegations of unlawful conduct by federal investigators in an August 2019 raid — stunned Paxton’s top aides and was among the revelations that led them to launch a criminal complaint against their boss, the American-Statesman has learned.

Quote

Houston lawyer Brandon Cammack appeared before a Travis County grand jury on Sept. 28 as a special prosecutor representing Paxton’s office and obtained subpoenas to look into allegations made by Austin businessman Nate Paul accusing federal authorities of wrongdoing when they raided his home and offices, according to documents obtained by the Statesman.

Quote

After learning Cammack had participated in the court proceedings, a deputy of Paxton’s sent Cammack a cease-and-desist letter stating that he had no authority under state law to serve as a special prosecutor and that by doing so he might have committed a crime.

Quote

“You have not been retained, authorized, or deputized by this office as such and your actions are entirely inappropriate and may be illegal,” Deputy Attorney General Mark Penley wrote to Cammack Wednesday. The letter directed Cammack to stop taking any further actions.

In the letter, Penley said he had become aware that Cammack had served a subpoena on at least one private business earlier that day.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Quote

Paxton, who has served as Texas attorney general since 2015, said in a statement Saturday: “The complaint filed against Attorney General Paxton was done to impede an ongoing investigation into criminal wrongdoing by public officials including employees of this office. Making false claims is a very serious matter and we plan to investigate this to the fullest extent of the law.”

Quote

Penley filed a motion on Friday in Travis County district court to quash all subpoenas that Cammack had obtained from the grand jury in his role as special prosecutor. State District Judge Geoffrey Puryear granted the motion later that day, quashing 37 subpoenas that Cammack could have used to secure information in his investigation.

“Only an attorney representing the state may” appear before a grand jury, Penley wrote.

The motion did not provide information about the nature of the subpoenas that Cammack had obtained from the grand jury or to whom he might have served them.

 

[atomheartbevo 89670]

This is the guy Paxton appointed to investigate federal agents.  UofH grad.

Quote

Reached Sunday, Cammack declined to comment about his role in investigating federal authorities, citing language in his employment contract with the attorney general’s office that prohibits him from speaking with the media.

Online information shows the 34-year-old Cammack is a criminal defense attorney in Houston who has been licensed to practice law since 2015. The Statesman sent a request to the attorney general’s office Sunday under the Texas Public Information Act for Cammack’s employment contract and records of payments to him.

 

Edited October 5, 2020 by atomheartbevo

[atomheartbevo 89670]

This is the prosecutor Paxton appointed

And Nate Paul

\

[Frank Erwin 203]

Despite their douchy/greasy demeanor, those boys have perfected the ability to stare into the camera with their eyes, something Paxton clearly covets.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

[TwiceHorn 31472]

I don't know what's going on.

As mentioned, the AG doesn't have a whole lot of built-in ability to investigate/prosecute criminal cases.  Any such ability seems to be limited to a special prosecutor. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/criminal-justice/criminal-prosecutions

It appears that this appointment was faulty on its face.

And, although nothing that I'm aware of forbids state investigation of a federal investigation, it is unusual to say the least.

Edited October 5, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[kevwun 15788]

I knew Paxton wouldn't let us down.  Lol that he thought no one would notice while he tried to use the legal system to conduct a witch hunt.

Edited October 5, 2020 by kevwun

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

Seems a bit odd when an attorney for all of 5 years is appointed as a special prosecutor. 

[Guest Lobo]

Cammack had a generously positioned and one of the larger suites at JerryWorld for the 2018 Big XII Football Championship game in Arlington.  General Paxton was in attendance.  As were a number of other questionable guests.  

[C-Man 27227]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

This is the prosecutor Paxton appointed

Paxton's "blood boy"?

[Doc Reeves 6434]

14 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Seems a bit odd when an attorney for all of 5 years is appointed as a special prosecutor. 

DA office pays shit. Some of the biggest cases in the last 20 years have been handled by people in their late 20’s or barely 30s

[Shaggy3.0 1695]

This is the prosecutor Paxton appointed

And Nate Paul

\

Maybe Ken Paxton has a “type”, if you know what I mean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TwiceHorn 31472]

20 minutes ago, Doc Reeves said:

DA office pays shit. Some of the biggest cases in the last 20 years have been handled by people in their late 20’s or barely 30s

While that is largely true of DA office pay, most DAs offices have seasoned lawyers in their 40s and 50s to handle major felonies.

https://www.dallascounty.org/government/district-attorney/staff/executive-team.php

https://app.dao.hctx.net/bios

https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-attorney/our-office/exec-team

Edited October 5, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[atomheartbevo 89670]

52 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Cammack had a generously positioned and one of the larger suites at JerryWorld for the 2018 Big XII Football Championship game in Arlington.  General Paxton was in attendance.  As were a number of other questionable guests.  

YouSeriousClark.gif?

So 2018, when he would have been practicing law for 3 years, he had one of the larger suites at JerryWorld and was hobnobbing with the bigwigs.  Just 3 years into his law career.

As a 2%er on Surly, that is, the 2% of Surly that is neither a doctor or lawyer, I guess I should have picked a different profession.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

And, although nothing that I'm aware of forbids state investigation of a federal investigation, it is unusual to say the least.

I suppose a state government can investigate a federal investigation, but it can't do anything to impede a federal investigation.  See McCullogh v. Maryland.  I mean, the very idea of a "special prosecutor" appointed by a state government to investigate federal agents is preposterous because the federal agents could never be prosecuted.

[TwiceHorn 31472]

30 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

 federal agents could never be prosecuted.

Not sure I'd say "never."  Taking you to mean prosecuted in state court.  Would depend on how far they strayed from their legitimate duties as federal LEO, I should think.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Not sure I'd say "never."  Taking you to mean prosecuted in state court.  Would depend on how far they strayed from their legitimate duties as federal LEO, I should think.

That wouldn't be something a state court could adjudicate.  So long as they purport to be within the scope of their legal authority, they're federal agents who are immune to state prosecution.

[TwiceHorn 31472]

3 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

That wouldn't be something a state court could adjudicate.  So long as they purport to be within the scope of their legal authority, they're federal agents who are immune to state prosecution.

We're saying mostly the same thing.  And state authorities turn over cases to the feds pretty often.  But a special prosecutor would seem to be a waste of time.

[Ghost of LL 15531]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

We're saying mostly the same thing.  And state authorities turn over cases to the feds pretty often.  But a special prosecutor would seem to be a waste of time.

Yeah--that's my point.  The title screams "I am not a thing."

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

This is all super shady.  Why do you need a special prosecutor?  There is no conflict.  Why pick an inexperienced lawyer who has never prosecuted to be a special prosecutor?  I mean, his website says he is one of the 10 best defense lawyers under 40 in the United States, but that's the only place you will find that information.

Is it possible that Nate Paul convinced Paxton that the only known cure for "retard face" was among the myriad documents seized during the execution of the search warrant and Paul would provide Paxton with it if Paxton got him out of trouble?

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

looks like Cammack’s dad knows his son is a shady sack of shit.  

https://setexasrecord.com/stories/511516487-tensions-between-father-son-attorneys-culminated-in-courthouse-confrontation-suit-alleges

[TwiceHorn 31472]

34 minutes ago, Cousin Strawberry said:

This is all super shady.  Why do you need a special prosecutor?  There is no conflict.  Why pick an inexperienced lawyer who has never prosecuted to be a special prosecutor?  I mean, his website says he is one of the 10 best defense lawyers under 40 in the United States, but that's the only place you will find that information.

Is it possible that Nate Paul convinced Paxton that the only known cure for "retard face" was among the myriad documents seized during the execution of the search warrant and Paul would provide Paxton with it if Paxton got him out of trouble?

Well it seems clear that Ken Paxton is a colossal dumbass first of all.  And he seems to have a tendency toward self-dealing.  And he self-deals in a very hamhanded, dumbass kind of way.

I mean, the securities fraud thing was for $100k.  This, apparently, is over a 25k campaign contribution.  

[atomheartbevo 89670]

6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I mean, the securities fraud thing was for $100k.  This, apparently, is over a 25k campaign contribution.  

I'm guessing all of these guys would roll over on each other.

[atomheartbevo 89670]

Paxton says his top aides are "rogue employees" and defends hiring the "5 years in practice" guy, and admits to knowing Nate Paul.

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/complaints-from-aides-to-attorney-general-ken-paxton-allege-bribery-abuse-of-power-against-him/

Quote

“The Texas Attorney General’s Office was referred a case from Travis County regarding allegations of crimes relating to the FBI, other government agencies and individuals,” Paxton wrote. “My obligation as attorney general is to conduct an investigation upon such referral. Because employees from my office impeded the investigation, and because I knew Nate Paul, I ultimately decided to hire an outside independent prosecutor to make his own independent determination. Despite the effort by rogue employees and their false allegations, I will continue to seek justice in Texas and will not be resigning.”

Paxton is not going to resign.  And the guy who's been trying to prosecute him has some thoughts.

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/prosecutor-discusses-texas-attorney-general-ken-paxtons-2015-indictments-current-allegations/

Quote

Special Prosecutor Kent Schaffer was not surprised when he heard the new allegations over the weekend.

“I’m the prosecutor that has been prosecuting him for five years on fraud-based offenses. So you know, I’m not shocked,” Schaffer said. 

Quote

Schaffer explained how the new allegations could affect Paxton. 

“If you assume that they’re true, and it’s proven that they’re true, it could affect his bond. Because when you’re out on a felony bond, if you commit a new offense, you could be all without bond,” Schaffer said.

Schaffer said it could also affect his punishment.

“If he’s convicted, in our cases, jury would find out about other fraudulent acts that he engaged in or wrongful acts,” Schaffer continued.

 

[smokebomb 357]

Nate Paul getting a write up in the Texas Tribune:

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/07/nate-paul-ken-paxton/

Quote

Who is Nate Paul, the real estate investor linked to abuse-of-office allegations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton?

Earlier in his career, media reports called the now 33-year-old real estate investor a “wunderkind,” a “rising star” and a “prodigy.” Now he’s fighting more than a dozen bankruptcies and has been linked to criminal allegations against an embattled Texas politician.

BY EDGAR WALTERS AND DAN ROSENZWEIG-ZIFF OCT. 7, 20204 HOURS AGO

Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language.

Walk through downtown Austin or its rapidly developing nearby neighborhoods and it’s impossible to miss the massive black banners draped over office buildings, warehouses and bars. “Another World Class Project,” reads one posted to the metal siding of a squat industrial building downtown. Other banners riff on their own ubiquity with a pithy line popularized by DJ Khaled: “Another One.”

The promotional campaign belongs to an Austin-based real estate investment firm owned by Nate Paul. World Class Capital Group has acquired an enviable portfolio of some of Austin’s choicest parcels with ambitious plans to lease or develop them. Paul has described himself in media reports as wanting to become “the youngest self-made real estate billionaire.”

These days, Paul’s name is associated not just with a real estate empire but with a series of recent high-profile bankruptcies and a much-publicized raid on his home and business office last year by FBI and U.S. Department of Treasury agents. The investigation remained active as recently as April, though no criminal charges have been filed, according to the Austin Business Journal.

And now he has been linked to bribery and abuse-of-office allegations made against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

According to the Houston Chronicle, former top aides to Paxton have alleged that the attorney general inappropriately appointed a special prosecutor to target “adversaries” of Paul, who donated $25,000 to Paxton’s reelection campaign in 2018. Those “adversaries” appear to include agents who raided Paul’s home and business office, though Paxton has confirmed only that he authorized an investigation into “allegations of crimes relating to the FBI, other government agencies and individuals” and that the investigation involved Paul.

A Paxton-appointed special prosecutor, Brandon Cammack, obtained subpoenas to look into allegations Paul made accusing federal authorities of wrongdoing when they raided his home and offices, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

And a text message, which was first obtained by the Houston Chronicle, sent last week by senior staff at the attorney general’s office to Paxton does not specify the nature of the real estate investor’s involvement in the “violations of law” they accuse Paxton of committing, but the aides mention Paxton’s “relationship and activities with Nate Paul.”

Paxton has said the allegations made against him by high-ranking attorneys at his agency are false, brought by “rogue” employees, and that he does not intend to resign. He also said he appointed a special prosecutor to lead the investigation to keep the investigation “independent” of his relationship with Paul.

Paul did not respond to interview requests for this story.

Earlier in his career, media reports called the now 33-year-old investor a “wunderkind,” a “rising star” and a “prodigy,” with an estimated net worth of nearly $1 billion. Raised in Victoria by Indian immigrant parents, Paul changed his name from Natin to Nate, moved to Austin, enrolled at the University of Texas and then dropped out after acquiring a taste for flipping real estate, according to media reports.

The J&S Koppell building on Congress Avenue in Austin is one of several buildings owned by the investment group that displays the World Class Capital Group banner. Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune

He founded World Class in 2007 and has said he got his start purchasing property at low prices and in a low-interest-rate environment after the 2008 financial crisis. He bought storage facilities, land in Austin, a marina on Lake Travis and a building being used by a call center in south Austin, according to a profile in Forbes. “I was buying at the pit of the crisis,” he told the magazine. “In many of those deals, there was no other bidder.”

By 2015, he had amassed hundreds of millions of dollars, primarily from institutional investors such as pension funds and insurance companies, according to the Austin Business Journal.

“Is this guy for real?” the publication asked in a 2015 profile of Paul. The next year, he claimed a spot on Forbes’ “30 under 30” list of promising young financiers.

“I started with zero,” Paul told the Business Journal. “There was no legacy. I’m self-made.”

In brief media appearances, Paul has shown off a taste for luxury. In 2013, a New York Post report documented his attendance at Leonardo DiCaprio’s 39th birthday party. In 2017, he drove a Forbes reporter around Austin in a Bentley to point out his real estate holdings. He has posed for photos in the Austin Business Journal in his office in the penthouse of Austin’s iconic Frost Bank Tower. And he owns a nearly 9,200-square-foot mansion in a wealthy West Austin neighborhood appraised at $2.4 million, according to local tax records.

A 2017 Forbes profile pronounced him a “Texas Tycoon” and estimated his net worth to be about $800 million. Paul’s company at the time had $1.2 billion in assets and 10 million square feet of commercial space, ranging from offices to retail outlets to self-storage facilities, according to Forbes.

As his real estate ventures expanded across state lines, with World Class and its related companies opening offices in New York and Los Angeles, Paul attracted controversy at home. Former employees of one of his rooftop bars in Austin sued after the bar allegedly cheated them out of tips, according to Forbes. The case was settled privately in 2014.

And among local musicians, Paul became known as something of a venue-killer, as World Class developed a reputation for buying properties leased by bars and clubs and promptly evicting them as tenants.

Vincent Salvaggio, the owner of downtown rooftop venue Ethics Music Lounge, told the Austin Chronicle in 2018 that World Class Capital locked the bar’s doors for delinquent payment immediately after purchasing the property, unbeknownst to Salvaggio.

“They had me locked out before I even got the legal paperwork that they owned it and they haven’t let me back in to get my shit — not my sound system, not even my checkbook,” Salvaggio told the Chronicle at the time. “They’re trying to raise the rent on everything, so it’s good for [them] to get people out who are playing lower rent.”

Recent local news reports and bankruptcy filings indicate Paul’s business may have fallen on difficult times. At least 18 entities connected to World Class Holdings have filed for bankruptcy in the past year, according to the Austin Business Journal. Paul’s firm has used the bankruptcy process to “fend off creditors and provide a degree of breathing room as it tries to find a way out of default on multiple loans tied to real estate across the city,” the publication reported.

In September, American Express sued Paul and World Class Capital seeking to collect more than $300,000 in credit card debt, court records show.

Meanwhile, Paxton’s office has come to Paul’s defense in at least one other legal matter, records show. Paul’s World Class firm works through a complex web of more than a dozen affiliated business partnerships, which jointly own properties with investors.

A dispute arose two years ago between companies affiliated with World Class and the Roy F. and Joann Cole Mitte Foundation, which invested in multiple Austin properties with the companies. The foundation is an Austin-based nonprofit that provides grants to charitable organizations and academic scholarships for students with financial needs.

The Mitte Foundation sued Paul in 2018, claiming he wasn’t sharing financial information on their jointly owned investments that Paul’s businesses managed. The case went to arbitration, and on July 1, 2019, a company affiliated with World Class agreed to buy out Mitte’s interest in the real estate partnerships for $10.5 million with payment due that August.

It never came, said Ray Chester, the lawyer representing the Mitte Foundation in the case.

In October 2019, the judge in the case ordered a receiver to take over the business partnerships, which would compel Paul to reveal the financial records that Chester said still hadn’t been shared with the Mitte Foundation. Chester said that within days, Paul “blatantly defied” the arbitrator’s ruling and said he had sold the partnerships at less than half of their market value.

But the sale was to another company affiliated with Paul, Chester said.

“He basically sold it to himself at below market value,” Chester said, although court records show the sale was never consummated.

As Paul’s firm cycled through teams of attorneys and held back on making the $10.5 million payment, Paxton’s office intervened in the case on behalf of World Class and its business affiliates this June, court records show. Paxton argued that his office needed to “protect the interests of the public” because the suit involved a charitable trust.

In July, Paxton asked a judge to halt the case. During that time, Chester said Paxton’s office called him five to 10 times per day to try to get him to settle for “pennies on the dollar,” calls that Chester characterized as “vaguely threatening.”

On Sept. 20, less than two weeks before news broke about the allegations against Paxton, the attorney general’s office reversed itself and announced its intention to step away from the case, which is still ongoing.

After filing for bankruptcy in August, the World Class affiliate handling investments in the property did not pay the $10.5 million or turn over the records, Chester said. But a clause in the settlement agreement does allow the Mitte Foundation to take a valuable, larger ownership share in the downtown property, Chester said.

As media reports surfaced detailing Paul’s connection to the allegations against Paxton, Texas Republican politicians who had received campaign contributions from Paul announced they would donate the funds to charities. Campaigns for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Comptroller Glenn Hegar, Land Commissioner George P. Bush and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy distanced themselves from Paul’s campaign contributions, which ranged from $2,500 to $10,000.

Roy, formerly a top Paxton aide at the Texas attorney general’s office, also called on Paxton to resign.

Although Paul has not said much publicly since garnering attention in the past year for the FBI raid and his bankruptcy lawsuits, he frequently shares inspirational quotes on his LinkedIn profile. He shared a Sun Tzu quote this summer: “Pretend to be weak, so your enemy may grow arrogant,” appending the hashtag #WorldClass.

On Monday, he posted another update: “Work Hard in Silence, Let Success Make the Noise.”

In the Austin Business Journal’s 2015 profile of Paul, outside observers praised him with a tinge of skepticism. David Armbrust, a real estate attorney at Armbrust & Brown, called Paul’s meteoric rise “very impressive.”

“I suppose like many in the real estate business, he may fit into one of two categories — either a rising star or a shooting star,” Armbrust said at the time. “Only time will tell.”

 

[Armybrat 40846]

On 10/5/2020 at 5:36 PM, Shaggy3.0 said:

Maybe Ken Paxton has a “type”, if you know what I mean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Somebody should get to the bottom of this and stay on top of it.

[Guest Lobo]

Are you guys saying General Paxton has a wandering eye for side pieces? 

Also, Paxton's special prosecutor looks like he should be a Realtor on the Bravo Network, not handling an extraordinarily complex case involving the federal government, this large real estate empire, and quite possibly international money laundering.  

[TwiceHorn 31472]

19 minutes ago, smokebomb said:

As Paul’s firm cycled through teams of attorneys and held back on making the $10.5 million payment, Paxton’s office intervened in the case on behalf of World Class and its business affiliates this June, court records show. Paxton argued that his office needed to “protect the interests of the public” because the suit involved a charitable trust.

In July, Paxton asked a judge to halt the case. During that time, Chester said Paxton’s office called him five to 10 times per day to try to get him to settle for “pennies on the dollar,” calls that Chester characterized as “vaguely threatening.”

On Sept. 20, less than two weeks before news broke about the allegations against Paxton, the attorney general’s office reversed itself and announced its intention to step away from the case, which is still ongoing.

Hmmmm, very fishy.

However, apparently the AG does have some authority to intervene in cases involving charitable trusts. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/financial-litigation/charitable-trusts

[Brisketexan 105142]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Hmmmm, very fishy.

However, apparently the AG does have some authority to intervene in cases involving charitable trusts. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/financial-litigation/charitable-trusts

I've had some involvement with that division.  It's a dusty, not oft-used division.  But the folks there were ethical straight-shooters (and long-time assistant AGs).  The present case....yeah, that smells of bullshit.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

From that Texas Tribune article:

Quote

The Mitte Foundation sued Paul in 2018, claiming he wasn’t sharing financial information on their jointly owned investments that Paul’s businesses managed.

...

As Paul’s firm cycled through teams of attorneys and held back on making the $10.5 million payment, Paxton’s office intervened in the case on behalf of World Class and its business affiliates this June.

...

In July, Paxton asked a judge to halt the case. During that time, Chester [Mitte Foundation attorney] said Paxton’s office called him five to 10 times per day to try to get him to settle for “pennies on the dollar,” calls that Chester characterized as “vaguely threatening.”

On Sept. 20, less than two weeks before news broke about the allegations against Paxton, the attorney general’s office reversed itself and announced its intention to step away from the case, which is still ongoing.

Why in the world would the AG office attempt to intervene multiple of times per day in a private matter? I can understand a politician maybe making 1 or 2 phone calls to help a friend or even donor. Sketchy but probably not illegal. However it seems like Paxton was using his office to effectively attempt to make millions for his friend. Why risk your job as AG unless there was something substantial in it for you? 

[TwiceHorn 31472]

13 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I've had some involvement with that division.  It's a dusty, not oft-used division.  But the folks there were ethical straight-shooters (and long-time assistant AGs).  The present case....yeah, that smells of bullshit.

I actually would have guessed that Paxton put up that page as a sort of cover, but that would be a) giving him too much credit and b) seems like the Property Code supports it.

The guy strikes me as a really epic dufus, and a greedy one.  Bad mixture with a law license.

I want to say it was GoLL that said he had been local counsel on some Collin County cases and had a solid rep.

It has probably changed, but when I had my first exposure to Collin County like 20-25 years ago, I was surprised at how "country" or even "backwoods" it felt.  It makes sense when you consider how much of the county is not Plano.

Edited October 7, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Brisketexan 105142]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

I actually would have guessed that Paxton put up that page as a sort of cover, but that would be a) giving him too much credit and b) seems like the Property Code supports it.

Yeah, it's one of those random things the Lege decided actually requires of the AG.  In working my case and doing my homework, I found out about it, and when I called them, it was like an old man answering a rotary dial phone with cobwebs on it.  But they knew their stuff, and were quite professional.

[TwiceHorn 31472]

7 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, it's one of those random things the Lege decided actually requires of the AG.  In working my case and doing my homework, I found out about it, and when I called them, it was like an old man answering a rotary dial phone with cobwebs on it.  But they knew their stuff, and were quite professional.

It appears to be kind of an oversight role to make sure fiduciaries are fiduciarying rather than getting involved in the substance of the litigation.

Like if something fishy gets revealed in the litigation, they may act separately to change the management of the trust or even dissolve it.

[Brisketexan 105142]

28 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

It appears to be kind of an oversight role to make sure fiduciaries are fiduciarying rather than getting involved in the substance of the litigation.

Like if something fishy gets revealed in the litigation, they may act separately to change the management of the trust or even dissolve it.

Yep.  In most cases, they will just sit on the sidelines and monitor (that's what they did in mine, even though I was really concerned they'd meddle, because a super conservative Christian faction was involved - I'm guessing nobody there had an inside line with Paxton).  I actually tried to get them to note some straight up fraud....but they stayed firmly on the sidelines (the fraud revelation DID get us to a good settlement, so there's that).

[Guest Lobo]

On 10/5/2020 at 3:59 PM, atomheartbevo said:

This is the prosecutor Paxton appointed

And Nate Paul

\

Why does look like the back “about us” page in a pitch deck for an ultralounge?

[jeevsie 3734]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

Are you guys saying General Paxton has a wandering eye for side pieces? 

Also, Paxton's special prosecutor looks like he should be a Realtor on the Bravo Network, not handling an extraordinarily complex case involving the federal government, this large real estate empire, and quite possibly international money laundering.  

LOL