Corruption Archives - Direct Action Texas

Fort Worth ISD Board Ditches Ethics for Cash

Posted by Christine Welborn | November 1, 2017

The Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) Board had an ethics policy with teeth, but it didn’t last long. It appears board officials just couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to potentially cash in on the massive $750 Million school bond.

The school board adopted a strong ethics policy in April of this year, but abruptly ditched it a few months later in August. Conveniently for elected officials, this alarming change was made only six days before the board voted to put a $750 million bond package on the November ballot.

In Kaufman – It Pays To Be A Crony

Posted by Aaron Harris | September 18, 2017

Property taxes are the largest and most onerous taxes Texans pay. But in Kaufman County, it pays to be well-connected.

Donald Trump’s election victory has been broadly viewed as retaliation by hard-working Americans to frustration with today’s political establishment and its close companion—cronyism. The politically connected receive special treatment, while the average taxpayer foots the bill for both the taxes and special interest handouts.

While we often consider cronyism to be relegated to the federal level in Washington D.C., it’s not. Cronyism is alive and well in Texas, particularly at the local level. Kaufman County provides an egregious example with inequities found in the state property tax system.

Kaufman’s Costly and Illegal Scandal – Part 2

Posted by Christine Welborn | August 8, 2017

For Part 1, click HERE.

County Judge Bruce Wood led Kaufman County into a costly contract with American Traffic Solutions (ATS) for traffic cameras. The contract resulted in illegal overreaches of authority in addition to costs over $180,000.

Traffic Cameras Were Unnecessary

Kaufman, like most other rural counties, has five law enforcement agencies to patrol its roads and enforce traffic laws. Each school zone is protected by local school police, city police, constables, deputy sheriffs, and the highway patrol. Not only was the ticketing contract with ATS unlawful, it would have added a redundant sixth layer of law enforcement.

The Ritchie Scandal – There’s an Audit

Posted by Aaron Harris | July 13, 2017

Another Tarrant County official is under fire from county auditors for alleged violations of state law. But unlike Democrat Constable Ruben Garcia’s recent scandal, it appears the local District Attorney’s office is taking action to prosecute either a judge, his staffer, or both.

Last week we unveiled Garcia’s scandal, which involved several possible violations of state law, including failure to document drugs and other property seized, along with cash collected by field deputies. Shockingly, Ritchie’s audit revealed alleged offenses similar to the Garcia scandal. while the laundry list of offenses documented in Garcia’s audit was lengthy, Ritchie’s is even longer.

Bipartisan Support for HB 2139

Posted by Christine Welborn | April 12, 2017

Due to the magnitude of the fraud Direct Action Texas has uncovered over the last 2 years, we have been calling for sensible reforms to come out of Austin. One of these is a bill authored by Representative Mike Schofield (R-Katy). House Bill 2139 would allow prosecutors to treat organized election fraud activity the same way it would treat other forms of organized crime, raising each penalty level one degree. Testimonies given in the House Committee on Elections revealed overwhelming bipartisan support.