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The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is turning over a criminal investigation into three of County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s former staffers to the Texas Attorney General’s Office. The staffers have been accused of steering an $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract to a preferred vendor.
During a press conference on Thursday, District Attorney Kim Ogg — who recently lost in the Democratic primary — said she wanted to ensure the case be left to an agency with “sufficient resources to properly prosecute cases of this magnitude and of this importance to the public.”
“With the results of the election, and the uncertainty about when the case will be tried, I felt it was my duty to get it to an office that I knew would not allow this case to be swept under the rug,” Ogg said.
The controversy began after a company called Elevate Strategies won the contract for a proposed COVID-19 vaccine outreach project in June 2021. After the contract was eventually withdrawn, an investigation headed by the DA’s office found what appeared to be communication between the three former staffers and Felicity Pereyra, the founder of Elevate Strategies, prior to Elevate winning the contract.
In March 2022, Texas Rangers raided the Harris County Administration Building and seized mobile phones, computers and sought access to Google accounts. The three former staffers — Aaron Dunn, Wallis Nader, and Alex Triantaphyllis — were eventually indicted back in April 2022. More than a year later, in November of 2023, Texas Rangers began investigating claims of evidence tampering within Hidalgo’s office.
During Thursday’s press conference, Ogg also took aim at Sean Teare, who won the Democratic candidacy over Ogg in the recent Primary Election. The DA accused Teare of having a conflict of interest in the case since he works with the Cogdell Law Firm, which represents one of the former staffers — although Teare maintains that he has not been involved with the case and has previously said that he’d recuse himself if he’s elected later this year.
Hidalgo has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and defended her former staffers, pointing to what she says is an omission of facts in the search warrants. She's also claimed the investigation into her office has been part of a political vendetta led by the DA. During Thursday’s press conference, Ogg once again dismissed these claims.
“I’ve gone to the largest, best-resourced law enforcement agency in Texas to ask for their assistance because evidence is not political — it is simply evidence,” Ogg said. “I want this case heard by a Harris County jury.”
Notably, the AG’s involvement comes after the state agency sued Harris County for its Uplift Harris program, a guaranteed income pilot program for low-income households. The program has been halted as the legal fight continues.
Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis criticized Ogg’s decision, calling it “a new low” for the outgoing prosecutor.
“The future of three young public servants, who were already derailed by this political witch hunt, has now been handed over to a hyper-partisan office with an axe to grind,” Ellis said in a statement. “Giving Ken Paxton the opportunity to undermine Harris County, yet again, is just another feather in Ken Paxton's cap and red meat for his MAGA base.”
Hidalgo has not responded to a request for comment.