The San Antonio Democrat’s sentence comes after he was convicted of 11 felonies in connection with FourWinds Logistics, a now-defunct oilfield services company found to have perpetrated a Ponzi scheme against investors.
Emma Platoff
Emma Platoff was a reporter at the Tribune from 2017 to 2021, most recently covering the law and its intersection with politics. A graduate of Yale University, Emma is the former managing editor of the Yale Daily News.
Posted in
Politics
Fifteen years after landmark gay rights case, same-sex couples in Texas still face challenges in court
On June 26, 2003, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law banning gay sodomy — a watershed moment for gay rights. But 15 years later, same-sex couples face another court case that aims to roll back their rights.
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Families Divided
With charges dropped against some parents who crossed the border with families, is “zero tolerance” still in effect?
The Trump administration says there is still “zero tolerance” for anyone who crosses the border illegally. But the top federal prosecutor in one of Texas’ busiest border districts has dropped charges against immigrants who arrived with their families.
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Environment
Texas Supreme Court strikes down Laredo’s plastic bag ban, likely ending others
The state’s highest civil court has ruled that Laredo’s ban on plastic bags violates state law.
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Families Divided
Trump wants to prosecute all illegal border crossings without splitting up families. That will be a challenge.
A lack of space and a legal settlement stand in his administration’s way.
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Families Divided
Texas shelter operator says it knows the locations of the parents of separated children in its care
A company official told Texas lawmakers Thursday that parents and children have the opportunity to be in contact. But it’s still not clear how that may lead to family reunification.
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Economy
Texas could gain hundreds of millions of dollars after Supreme Court rules on taxing online purchases
Texas loses an estimated $1.1 billion each year in uncollected sales tax from online retailers that don’t have a physical presence in the state.
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Families Divided
For families who have already been separated, policy change doesn’t guarantee reunification
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order he says will “keep the families together” when they’re apprehended illegally crossing the border. But that does little for families who have already been split apart.
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Families Divided
Donald Trump reverses course, signs an executive order to stop separating families
Meanwhile, members of Congress are working on legislation to address the issue.
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Families Divided
Report: Youngest children separated from their families held in three “tender age” shelters in South Texas
More than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s policy of “zero tolerance” for illegal border crossers.