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David Barer and Christopher Adams
5 days ago
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The federal bank and wire fraud trial for real estate investor Nate Paul has been delayed until February 2025.
Paul’s attorneys argued that millions of documents provided by prosecutors are still being uploaded by a third-party vendor, meaning they will need additional time for review before trial, which had been set for Nov. 6, 2024.
The defense had asked Judge David Ezra to delay the trial until March 17, 2025. Prosecutors suggested a start date of Jan. 6 instead.
“I think you both have good points, so I’m going to set this case in February,” Ezra said in a hearing Tuesday. Jury selection was set for Feb. 18.
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“In general, it is always my inclination to try to have cases, criminal cases in particular, presented to the jury at the earliest possible opportunity, and that certainly isn’t anything different here,” Ezra said in Tuesday’s hearing.
Attorneys for Paul said they requested the documents from prosecutors in late January, and the government started the process to copy them “almost immediately.” Because of the sheer number of documents — 4.4 million — the defense did not receive them until May 14.
The third-party vendor is still in the process of uploading those to a server for the defense team to review. Paul’s attorneys don’t anticipate being able to start that review process until mid-August.
In a government response to Paul’s motion requesting a delay, prosecutors said they “oppose any continuance beyond what may be absolutely necessary for the preparation of Mr. Paul’s defense.”
In setting the trial date for February, Judge Ezra acknowledged the delay was more of a technical issue, saying, “I’m not pointing fingers at anybody.”
Ezra also acknowledged a request from the defense team to transfer the case from Austin to San Antonio. The judge rebuffed that request, saying initial publicity of the case in Austin has died down.
“I will ensure Mr. Paul gets a fair trial,” Ezra said, adding he doesn’t think there will be a problem finding a fair and impartial jury in Austin.
Paul, 37, has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Federal officials first charged him in June 2023 with eight counts of making false statements or reports to lending institutions. In November 2023, federal officials tacked on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud to the list of charges, according to a superseding indictment.
The federal charges against Paul are tied to his work as the head of World Class Holding – a real estate investment firm with assets across Austin and beyond, according to media reports.
Who is Nate Paul — the Austin real estate investor charged with 8 federal counts
In the bank fraud counts, Paul is accused of providing false information and statements to multiple banks to obtain $172 million in loans, according to court records.
Regarding the wire fraud counts, federal officials accuse Paul of making false statements to partners involved in limited partnerships and wrongfully removing money for other uses, according to charging documents.
Each of the eight initial bank fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine of $1 million. The wire fraud charges have a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and $250,000 each, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Speed bumps on way to trial
Paul’s trial date has already been pushed twice. It was originally scheduled for August 2023 and moved to July 2024, according to court records.
In February, Paul’s lawyers asked Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra for more time, and the trial was moved again to November 2024.
Paul was linked to allegations against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that played a significant role in Paxton’s high-profile impeachment. Top officials in the attorney general’s office accused Paxton of abusing his power to help Paul, who donated to Paxton’s campaign.
The federal counts against Paul are unrelated to Paxton, who was acquitted by the Texas Senate in September 2023 of all the articles of impeachment he faced at trial.
Paxton remains in a legal battle with whistleblowers over a wrongful termination lawsuit.
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This article was originally published by a www.kxan.com . Read the Original article here. .