Last week, Houston lawyers Shaun Clarke and Dane Ball demanded that political corruption charges against their client, Texas State Rep. Dawnna Dukes of Austin, should be dismissed immediately because the rules she was accused of violating are vague and there was no intent to violate the law.
On Monday, Travis County prosecutors agreed, dropping all 15 counts of alleged political corruption against the 12-term Texas House member.
In fact, Travis District Attorney Margaret Moore told The Texas Tribune late Monday that the felony charges should never have been brought against Rep. Dukes.
Clarke and Ball, who are partners at Houston-based Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, said it was a complete victory for their client, who violated no state laws.
“Complete dismissals are rare, and it is extremely gratifying to obtain one that vindicates one of the longest-sitting members of the Texas House of Representatives,” Ball said.
“Representative Dukes was innocent from day one,” Ball said. “We’re glad Representative Dukes can get back to serving her constituents without the distraction of these baseless charges.”
Rep. Dukes, who is a Democrat, hired Clarke and Ball in early 2017 when a Travis County grand jury issued three separate indictments alleging 13 felony and two misdemeanor counts of public corruption.
Prosecutors claimed Rep. Dukes falsified official travel vouchers to obtain money for work she did not do.
The SKV defense team mounted an attack that challenged both the factual and legal basis for the prosecution’s case.
In early October, Clarke and Ball forced the state to dismiss one felony count because law enforcement misread a key piece of evidence – a date on Rep. Dukes’ cell phone.
As part of the dismissal, Rep. Dukes agreed to reimburse her campaign fund $5,230, which was allegedly used for personal expenses. In addition, the state House member agreed to pay Texas coffers $1,340 to cover the cost of a legislative staffer who had babysat Rep. Dukes’ daughter.
SKV associates Sydney Scott and Alex Wolf also worked on the case. Austin attorney Matthew Shrum served as local counsel.