Ken Paxton spared from trial after prosecution agrees to deal nearly a decade after indictment

AUSTIN, Texas — Defense lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton scored a major victory Tuesday as special prosecutors announced a deal to forego a trial on securities fraud charges against the politician nearly a decade after he was indicted.

Prosecutors announced Tuesday morning that they had reached a deal to dismiss charges against the third-term Republican attorney general. Paxton was first indicted in 2015.