Weekly update from Texas AG’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit

Staff Report

The responsibilities, of the Office of the Attorney General, are to serve as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issue legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies, and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes.

The Texas AG sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.

Many Texans look to the Office of the Attorney General for guidance with disputes and legal issues. The agency receives hundreds of letters, phone calls, and visits each week about crime victims’ compensation, child support, abuse in nursing homes, possible consumer fraud, and other topics.

To find out more about the Texas Attorney General, visit the official website at https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/.

AG Paxton’s Law Enforcement Round-Up

AUSTIN – The Texas Attorney General’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit made several noteworthy arrests last week.

• In Travis County, while working with the United States Marshal’s Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, the Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested Christopher Michael Garcia in Austin on February 23. Garcia had an outstanding warrant for murder issued by the Austin Police Department.
  .
• In Ellis County, Brandon Douglas Wilder was arrested in Midlothian on February 23. Wilder had an outstanding warrant for Indecency with a Child Sexual Contact issued by the Midlothian Police Department.
  .
• In Smith County, while working with the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, the Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrested Jordan Syncere Hankins in Tyler on February 23. Hankins had an outstanding warrant for Aggravated Robbery issued by the Tyler Police Department.

The Human Trafficking Unit made one arrest in relation to the sexual assault of a child.

• In San Patricio County, Gabriel Gonzales, 56, of Mathis was arrested on a sexual assault of a child warrant. This case was received as a tip from the Polaris National Hotline, as well as a request for assistance by the Mathis Police Department. During the investigation, it was determined that in 2020, Gonzales sexually assaulted a child in Mathis. Gonzales was taken into custody without incident and was transported to the San Patricio County Jail with a $40,000 bond.

AG Pax­ton Announces $188.6 Mil­lion Mul­ti­state Set­tle­ment with Med­ical Device Man­u­fac­tur­er Boston Sci­en­tif­ic Corporation

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a multistate settlement with Boston Scientific Corporation (Boston) regarding deceptive marketing of its surgical mesh products for women.

The settlement requires Boston to pay $188.6 million to 47 states and the District of Columbia to resolve allegations that it deceptively marketed transvaginal surgical mesh devices to patients. Texas will receive $13 million of that settlement.

“Texans and their doctors demand transparency from their providers and expect to receive good information in order to make informed decisions about their health,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This settlement sends a strong message that we will not allow the health of Texas women to be placed in jeopardy by unscrupulous businesses who place profits over patients’ well-being.” 

Transvaginal surgical mesh is a synthetic material that is surgically implanted through the vagina to support the pelvic organs of women who suffer from stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.

The original complaint in this lawsuit was raised after Boston misrepresented the safety of these products by failing to disclose the full range of potentially serious and irreversible complications caused by surgical mesh, including chronic pain, voiding dysfunction, and new onset of incontinence.  

Read a copy of the agreed final judgment here. 

AG Paxton Sues La Quinta BCB for Price Gouging During 2021 Winter Storm 

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against Everyoung Hospitality LLC, d/b/a La Quinta San Antonio Brook City Base, accusing them of price gouging during the February 2021 winter storm emergency.

While more than 300,000 Bexar County residents suffered without power and heat during the coldest days of the storm, La Quinta BCB charged exorbitant prices for rooms, including nearly three times its normal rates.

“This gross exploitation of Texans in dire need of shelter during historic low temperatures will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Companies looking to profit from this tragic event that left millions of Texans without power or water will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.”

In one instance, a man, his three daughters, and 101-year-old grandmother booked two rooms for a one-night stay at La Quinta BCB. Upon arrival, the family told hotel staff that they did not know when their power would be restored, and made plans to possibly extend their stay.

On the third day, they were told that the room rates had nearly tripled, jumping from $74 a night to $199 a night. When asked why, La Quinta BCB said there was a huge demand for rooms, and if the family did not want the rooms, someone else would pay the exorbitant rate.

Texans who believe they’ve encountered a scam or price gouging should call the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Hotline toll-free at (800) 621-0508 or file a complaint online at https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/cpd/file-a-consumer-complaint.

View the lawsuit here. 

AG Paxton Leads Multistate Complaint Against the Biden Administration, Demanding the Reinstatement of the Keystone XL Permit

AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that Texas and Montana are filing a multistate complaint against the Biden administration for revoking the 2019 Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline.

The lawsuit states that President Biden does not have the unilateral authority to change the energy policy that Congress has set.

The power to regulate interstate and international commerce, including granting or rejecting permits for oil pipelines that cross an international border, resides with Congress—not the President.

“Since his first day in office, President Biden has made it his mission to undo all the progress of the previous administration, with complete disregard for the Constitutional limits on his power. His decision to revoke the pipeline permit is not only unlawful but will also devastate the livelihoods of thousands of workers, their families, and their communities,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This administration continues to tout imaginary green-energy jobs, without any recognition that their actions in the real world will make it impossible for hard-working Americans to put food on the table.”

“The power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce belongs to Congress — not the President. This is another example of Joe Biden overstepping his constitutional role to the detriment of Montanans,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “There is not even a perceived environmental benefit to his actions. His attempt to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline is an empty virtue signal to his wealthy coastal elite donors. It shows Biden’s contempt for rural communities in Montana and other states along the pipeline’s path that would benefit from and support the project.”

The complaint was filed by Texas Attorney General Paxton and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen in Texas federal district court.

The suit is joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.