Investigation continues of Democrat contributor

Houston Chronicle:

Attorneys for a major Democratic contributor are calling a Friday raid of the embattled donor's office a politically motivated vendetta by the state's Republican attorney general.

Attorney General Greg Abbott sued Mauricio Celis, 36, in November for allegedly practicing law without a license.

The attorney general's office said it was assisting the Nueces County district attorney.

Agents from Abbott's office, in addition to investigators from the Nueces County sheriff's and district attorney office, served a search warrant on his Corpus Christi office Friday.

"This is an abuse of power and a violation of the grand jury system," said Tony Canales, Celis' lead criminal attorney. "What is becoming abundantly clear is that we're looking at a political vendetta by an openly ambitious Republican politician in Austin who wants to score points by persecuting a prominent Democrat in South Texas. A local grand jury has already acted on these allegations that we look forward to beating in court."

Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland said, the warrant was executed in an ongoing criminal investigation.

"The office of the attorney general, which regularly conducts and supervises complex money laundering investigations, is assisting the Nueces County district attorney with this case," he said. "The office of the attorney general will continue working with local authorities to enforce Texas law."

Celis has a controlling interest in the CGT Law Group of Corpus Christi. Texas law prohibits anyone from owning a controlling interest in a law firm unless he is a licensed lawyer. While Celis is not licensed to practice law in Texas, he has argued that he can legally practice law in Mexico.

...

If Attorney General Abbott has a politically motivated vendetta going he has done a remarkable job of keeping it secret. Issuing an investigative subpoena is certainly not unreasonable in this case which cries out for investigation. Tony Canales's hyperbole can't hide the fact that the state has an interest in aiding the grad jury investigation. It can work both ways. Sometimes the state will get a grand jury to issue subpoenas for material rather than go through a court fight on administrative subpoenas. The investigation should go forward and any evidence gathered will determine what crime, if any, has taken place.

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