Sentenced
I received a pre-filled out mail ballot application yesterday to vote in the Democratic Party Primary Election. The application had the reelection campaign logos and photos of Judge Cheryl Elliott Thornton and Judge Ramona Franklin and the logos and photos of judicial candidate Vivian King and Tax Assessor-Collector candidate Claude Cummings, III. The disclaimer read “Political Ad paid for by JPBE Consulting.” Got it?
By the way, the Chron E-Board today endorsed Judge Franklin’s opponent, Allison Mathis. Judge Franklin would not return the E-Board’s call for an interview request. Commentary voted for Mathis, and you should too. Go read today’s E-Board take.
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William-Paul Thomas was sentenced yesterday. See the featured photo. Here is from the Chron:
William-Paul Thomas, the former mayoral aide who pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison on Monday.
And this:
Thomas served as Mayor Sylvester Turner’s liaison to City Council, leading communication between the mayor’s office and Houston’s 16 City Council members. He would discuss agenda items with the council members, and he was responsible for counting votes on measures that faced opposition.
He first entered that role under then-Mayor Annise Parker, who created the job for him, Thomas said on Monday. He previously had worked for then-City Council Member Rodney Ellis, then-Mayor Bill White, then-U.S. Rep. Mickey Leland and the Internal Revenue Service.
And this:
Thomas’ case marked the first publicly known criminal investigation of a Houston mayoral official in years, and his cooperation with federal agents fueled speculation about who else might face charges – including questions about whether anyone else at City Hall would garner scrutiny.
That speculation has failed to materialize so far. The government has not yet filed charges against anyone else connected with the case, despite Thomas’ help and the questioning of city officials over the years. Prosecutors declined to comment further when leaving the courthouse on Monday.
It is possible those developments are still in the works, though. The prosecution included attorneys from the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Unit in Washington, D.C.
“I’d be very surprised if this is the last we hear about William-Paul Thomas, especially if he ends up being a witness against someone else,” said Cordt Akers, a Houston defense attorney and former state prosecutor. “The government doesn’t often fly in a prosecutor from Washington, DC, for low-level cases.”
Here is the entire read: Who is William-Paul Thomas, ex-mayoral aide in Houston bribery case? (houstonchronicle.com).
There is not much to comment on. The article pretty much explains things.
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Texas GOP House Speaker Dade Phelan has an ad calling out crooked GOP AG Ken Paxton on Paxton cheating on his wife. Way too funny. I love the GOP going after each other. They are all rats.
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That is all I have for now.
