Austin (1080 KRLD)- A top political aide to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has been arrested after accusations that he stole money from investors looking to join the state's new hemp industry.
Court records show Todd Smith is charged with third-degree felony theft.
Smith is a longtime political aide to Miller, whose department issues licenses to grow hemp, which became legal in Texas in 2019. Smith is accused of taking money from prospective hemp producers who thought they were securing a license.
He was released from an Austin jail Friday.
This comes just over a week following Miller's decision to sue President Biden's administration on the grounds that their Covid-19 relief plan supposedly discriminates against white farmers and ranchers.
The American Rescue plan of 2021 offers relief to farmers and ranchers of color but not include white ethnic groups like the Irish, Italian and German and Eastern Europeans.
