State Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, was indicted by a Travis County grand jury for failing to disclose sources of income, gifts and other information that state officials are required to detail in personal financial statements, Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg said today.
Her office said the six indictments include 16 counts of tampering with a governmental record — for which Flores faces up to two years in state jail and a fine of up to $10,000 — and three counts of perjury — for which he faces up to one year in state jail and a fine of up to $4,000.
Flores was a Craddick D who won a hard-fought primary challenge last year. He was on the Texas Monthly Ten Worst Legislators list this session after being a dishonorable mention in 2007; his inclusion this year, for which a spat he induced over a veterans’ tax break bill was cited as a reason, generated some strong pushback from veterans’ groups in his district. This is going to be fascinating to watch.
UPDATE: Rep. Flores has released the following statement.
“When I was first elected to represent my constituents, I took an oath to uphold the laws and ethics rules of this great state. At no point during my public service have I intentionally or knowingly violated any state law or rule. So today, I am extremely disappointed that the Travis county public integrity unit has decided to hand out an indictment against me after a lengthy investigation into my personal and political dealings. Today’s indictment concerns a number of reports that were allegedly incomplete. Throughout this entire investigation, I have fully cooperated and have disclosed any evidence required of me. Moving forward, it is my intent to continue my cooperation in order to bring closure to this matter. I hope that I receive the support of my constituents throughout this unfortunate event and ask that they reserve judgment until I have my day in court. I can assure you that I will fight as hard as I do for District 36 to clear my name. My family and I ask for your thoughts and prayers during this tumultuous time.”
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