Corrupt Harris County Decide Lina Hidalgo and her former staffers might be reimbursed almost $900,000 in authorized charges associated to bid-rigging expenses.
Final yr Harris County District Legal professional Kim Ogg (D) transferred the case to Ken Paxton’s workplace so it didn’t ‘fall via the cracks’ when she left workplace this yr.
Nonetheless, County Commissioners voted 3-1 to reimburse Hidalgo and her three former staffers $877,402 for legals charges associated to the case after a separate prosecutor dropped the fees.
Hidalgo’s workplace was embroiled in a bid-rigging scandal.
Lina Hidalgo’s top three staffers were indicted in April 2022 after prosecutors expanded the investigation into an $11 million ‘vaccine outreach contract’ awarded to one of many decide’s political cronies.
Whereas Hidalgo was threatening to jail and positive individuals for violating her Covid guidelines, she was secretly attempting to award considered one of her political cronies, Felicity Pereyra, who based Elevate Methods, an $11 million ‘vaccine outreach’ contract.
Hidalgo in the end panicked and canceled the $11 million vaccine contract after questions have been raised that it was with a one-person agency with no expertise.
Hidalgo’s Chief of Workers Alex Triantaphyllis and Coverage Director Wallis Nader together with co-defendant Aaron Dunn have been charged with misuse of official data and tampering with authorities paperwork in reference to the canceled vaccine outreach contract.
Lina Hidalgo and Kim Ogg beforehand received right into a public feud.
Hidalgo beforehand trashed DA Kim Ogg in a press convention after she accused her of threatening her reelection by floating a attainable indictment.
Decide Hildaldo lashed out at Kim Ogg once more this yr after the County commissioners voted to reimburse her.
“It was a political assault,” Hidalgo mentioned, based on Houston Public Media. “I barely gained, so she virtually achieved what she needed, which was to bleed me dry to the purpose that I couldn’t run a correct political operation, and that’s not one thing that we wish to enable prosecutors to do.”
Kim Ogg hit again and zinged Lina Hidalgo for her lack of information concerning the justice system.
“The truth that the circumstances have been later dismissed by a unique prosecutor doesn’t change the truth that strange individuals heard the proof on this case and indicted these individuals for contract bidding, for bid-rigging of a contract,” Ogg mentioned, based on HPM.
“Decide Hidalgo’s lack of awareness concerning the prison justice system by no means fails to shock me,” Kim Ogg added. “She isn’t a lawyer. She has not been to the courthouse to the most effective of my data, and he or she doesn’t appear to know the system.”
Lina Hidalgo checked herself into a treatment facility for medical melancholy in summer season 2023.
