TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Travis County recently released its top 10 list of delinquent taxpayers this year, and real estate investor Nate Paul is currently placed in the No. 1 spot.
Paul, who was previously involved in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's impeachment trial, has failed to pay $3 million in taxes for a total of eight different properties: three under Met Center Portfolio LLC, two under W Ben White LP and three for 11530 Menchaca Road LLC.
The property owners on the list were given from November 2023 through Jan. 31 of this year to make the payments. If the property owners don't pay, the accounts will be forwarded to the county attorney's office and a foreclosure suit will be filed.
"I've sent letters and made phone calls hoping to collect the payment in full or work out a payment plan for those struggling to pay," Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant said. "Why take the risk of losing your property because of unpaid taxes?"
This isn't the first time Paul has been placed on the delinquent list. Last spring, the Travis County Tax Office stated he owed more than $1 million in taxes for properties within WC East Avenue LLC, WC 5th and Waller LLC and 11530 Menchaca Road LLC.
If Paul does not pay up, the county will file suit against him and the other delinquent taxpayers. It could lead to foreclosed properties being sold at a public auction. In June, the auctions will be held online.
"We don't want that. We don't want to see seize anybody's properties. We understand cash flows are challenging sometimes – we're happy to work out a payment plan. So we need to work out something that's realistic," Elfant said.
Paul's legal problems go back several years. In 2019, the FBI raided World Class Holdings' Downtown Austin office. In 2020, top deputies from Paxton's office told federal authorities they believed Paxton may have misused his authority to benefit Paul by helping Paul gain access to investigative documents related to the FBI search and making an order to suspend the foreclosures of Paul's properties. In 2021, the company had nine properties foreclosed upon that totaled a loss of more than $130 million.
Criminal defense attorney Charlie Baird calls Paul's financial issues a "real problem."
"If he's taken to court, then he would be forced, would not only pay in the taxes which he owes, but he could also wind up paying attorney's fees and penalties and interest on the money that he owes. So it could grow to even more than the $3 million that is currently on the tax rolls," Baird said.
KVUE made multiple attempts to call and email Paul's attorney for a comment, but we did not hear anything back.
Travis County is still trying to collect over $120 million in unpaid property taxes. If property owners who owe payments don't eventually pay, residential property taxes could be raised as a direct result.
Other Travis County companies on this year's list include OTX Hotel LLC, Northwend Investor LLC, RPC Mueller Square LLC, Velo Flats LLC, 511 Barton Blvd. LLC, 5916 N. Lamar Investor LLC and OM Digital Solutions Americas Inc.