Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has reached a deal with prosecutors in his state felony trial due to start in weeks.
Prosecutors have announced a deal that drops nearly decade-old securities fraud charges against Paxton. The agreement would ultimately dismiss the securities fraud charges against Paxton.
Under the 18-month pre-trial agreement, the special prosecutors would drop three felony counts against Paxton. As part of the deal, Paxton must pay full restitution to victims, around $300,000, and must also complete 100 hours of community service, and 15 hours of legal ethics education.
The resolution lets Paxton avoid a trial, which had been set to begin in less than three weeks on April 15.
Paxton was first indicted in 2015 after being accused of duping investors in a tech startup before he was elected as Attorney General.
If he had been convicted at trial, Paxton could have been sentenced to life in prison.