Sharon Steinmann/Houston Chronicle
A complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission accuses Letitia Plummer, the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge, of seven campaign finance violations, including improperly paying a family member, according to a document obtained by the Houston Chronicle.
It’s unclear who submitted the complaint, but it comes as Plummer and her opponent, Republican Orlando Sanchez, have begun campaigning in earnest ahead of the hotly contested November election.
Harris County Judge candidate Latitia Plummer talks to voters outside of Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center in Houston on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle
The document also accused Plummer of accepting illegal contributions from corporations, failing to properly disclose payments made to her dentistry practice and several other procedural and accounting discrepancies. Plummer often filed her campaign finance reports late leading into the primary elections this spring.
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Plummer said in a statement that her team was aware of the complaint and has been in contact with the Texas Ethics Commission.
“We are doing a full review,” Plummer said. “We will be ensuring compliance with campaign finance regulations and amend any public reporting if necessary.”
The allegations, which have not been sustained, are based on figures Plummer reported July 15, which spanned May 17 through June 30.
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Andrew Cates, an Austin-based attorney who specializes in Texas ethics and campaign finance law, said that the documents the Chronicle obtained were likely compiled by a law firm hired to target the Plummer campaign. It’s unclear if all of the allegations included in the documents were officially filed against Plummer.
But even if the document was politically motivated, Cates said, the allegations are serious enough that the ethics commission will likely conduct an investigation.
“This was very much a ‘throw-spaghetti-against-the-wall’ analysis, and I think that as usually happens, not everything is going to stick,” Cates said. “But I think that there are some allegations in there that would rightfully warrant further review.”
A Sanchez spokesperson said his campaign has not submitted any ethics complaints.
While many of the accusations included in the documents are low-level procedural infractions, Cates said.
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But a $10,000 payment Plummer made June 2 to her dentistry business, Maxwello Dental & Orthodontics, and a $5,000 payment to a family member June 8, which her report labeled a rental expense, would be significant if sustained, he said.
In both instances, Cates said Plummer would have to prove that the expenses were in exchange for products or services purchased at fair market value.
The document also alleged $4,500 Plummer accepted from her business was an illegal corporate contribution, but Cates said her dentist office, as a “professional corporation,” is exempt from that prohibition.
The document also lists two other donations from businesses that appear unaffiliated with Plummer, which would be “a real problem” if they are from corporations, Cates said.
Among the other alleged infractions was a reported account balance nearly $8,000 short of what her reported contributions and expenditures would suggest.
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The expenditures Plummer reported during the six-week period covered by the report also do not include a description as required under Texas law. Both are minor allegations, Cates said, but he said Plummer’s campaign needs to add the missing expense descriptions.
Cates said the Texas Ethics Commission will likely launch an investigation into the allegations, but he said any findings likely won’t be made public for at least six months – beyond the November election.
Ultimately, Cates said the commission is more interested in addressing deliberate fraud than it is punishing candidates for reporting errors.
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“What they really want to go after are not mistakes,” Cates said. “They’re not trying to ‘gotcha’ anybody, they’re trying to make sure the playing field is level and everybody is doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”