Charges dismissed against 2 of Harris Co. Judge Hidalgo's former staffers, records show

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Thursday, January 30, 2025
Charges dismissed against 2 of Harris Co. Judge Hidalgo's former staffers, records show
Charges have been dismissed against two of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's former staffers, according to court records.

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- ABC13 has learned that the criminal cases against some of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's former staffers have been dismissed.

Lawyers for Aaron Dunn and Wallis Nader confirmed on Wednesday that the attorney general filed a motion to drop their charges. Both Dunn and Nader were accused of misusing official information and tampering with records. Court records show those charges have been dismissed.

Dunn's attorney, Derek Hollingsworth, said he heard the special prosecutor say the charges would be dropped.

"There is no case here," Hollingsworth recalled. "As soon as she realized that, she ran it up the proper channels. My understanding is all the way at the top, and got authorization to dismiss the case.

Those same charges against another one of Hidalgo's former staff members, Alex Triantaphyllis, are still pending. Records show Triantaphyllis has a court hearing next week in the matter.

The case against three of Hidalgo's former staffers centers around a now-canceled $11 million COVID-19 vaccine outreach contract awarded to Elevate Strategies, a one-woman firm without healthcare experience.

ABC13 reached out to the AG's office to see if the investigation into the contract is over. Legal analyst Brian Wice believes it could be.

Former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg investigated the case for a few years. Wice believes she did so to help win re-election.

She lost and asked the AG's office to take over the case. Wice isn't sure anyone will be indicted, including Hidalgo.

"Kim Ogg would've indicted her in a heartbeat," Wice explained. "The fact that she didn't meant that even Kim Ogg, with her pension for playing politics with people's lives, recognized that there was nothing there."

Ogg works for Harris County Precinct 3 Tom Ramsey's office. ABC13 contacted his spokesperson to try to speak with Ogg, but didn't hear back.

READ MORE: Harris County senior staffers indicted in $11M contract investigation appear in court

Judge Hidalgo posted a statement on X Wednesday, saying in part that "this result speaks for itself... Aaron and Wallis are people of integrity."

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