Harris County bid-rigging case: 2 former Lina Hidalgo staffers have case dismissed

Two of the three former staff members of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo who were charged in connection to high-profile bid-rigging case had their charges dismissed.

Wallis Nader and Aaron Dunn were charged with felony tampering with government documents and misuse of official information.

RELATED: Harris County D.A. Sean Teare recuses himself from bid-rigging case allegedly involving Hidalgo’s aides

Aaron Dunn (L) and Wallis Nader (R)

Harris County Judge staffers named in felony indictments

The backstory:

In 2022, Nader, Dunn, and at the time, Hidalgo's chief of staff, Alex Triantaphyliss, were named in a felony criminal indictment.

They were accused of orchestrating a bid-rigging scheme to steer the multi-million dollar contract to a little known, one-woman firm with few resources and extensive connections to Democratic political campaigns.

The indictment came after a controversial $11 million Harris County COVID-19 contract was given to "Elevate Strategies LLC", an operation that, at the time, had been in existence barely two years and was based at a residential apartment complex in Montrose.

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Hidalgo and the court quickly canceled the contract after pressure.

What they're saying:

FOX 26 spoke with Dunn's attorney, Derek Hollingsworth, who said his client broke no laws and was "collateral damage" in a political vendetta aimed at Hidalgo.

"I know that people will roll their eyes about this, but I truly believe this was a political prosecution meant to get back at Judge Hidalgo. I'm really glad we got to the result we did, which was law enforcement authorities finally rolled up their sleeves and saw it for what it was, nothing," said Hollingsworth, who predicted charges will also be dropped against Triantaphyllis.

What's next:

As a result of this criminal case dismissal, Harris County taxpayer will likely pick up a very large legal tab. Under a policy approved by Harris County Commissioners, workers who are prosecuted or sued for actions taken during the course of their employment and later cleared are entitled to full reimbursement for the cost of their legal defense.

"This is a perfect case where that's a valid policy. If you are being prosecuted solely because you happen to be a County employee and it was determined later, as it was here, that case had no merit and should be dismissed, than you shouldn't have to incur your own legal fees," said Hollingsworth.

Triantaphyliss is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 6.

Dig deeper:

The Source: FOX 26 obtained court records related to the case.

Crime and Public SafetyHarris County