Ken Paxton, the embattled Republican Senate candidate, spent New Year’s Eve in Dubai with two American businessmen who had been indicted on federal healthcare fraud charges.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Paxton was filmed watching fireworks illuminate the Burj Khalifa—the world’s tallest building—on December 31, 2024. He attended the luxury high-rise gathering with his girlfriend, Tracy Duhon.
The guest list also included businessmen Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail. Both had been indicted months earlier in connection with an alleged healthcare fraud scheme and had not returned to the United States to face the charges when the Dubai event took place.
Both men have since returned to the US. Ahmed is currently in custody as the legal proceedings move forward.
Ahmed’s attorneys have said he was abroad when the first indictment was issued in 2024. They have also said health problems affecting his family delayed his return to the United States.
Suhail’s lawyer, Adam Sheppard, provided a different explanation, saying civil disputes in Dubai prevented his client from travelling until those matters had been resolved.
Sheppard said Suhail ultimately came back to the United States voluntarily.
Paxton was filmed welcoming 2025 at a lavish Dubai gathering on December 31, 2024, alongside businessmen Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, who had been indicted in the US months earlier in connection with alleged healthcare fraud
Paxton’s girlfriend, Tracy Duhon, was among the guests at the Dubai New Year’s Eve celebration
The allegations against Ahmed and Suhail stem in part from an alleged $15 million scheme involving Chicago’s Loretto Hospital, where Ahmed previously served as chief financial officer.
Federal prosecutors in Illinois indicted both men over the alleged embezzlement scheme.
Ahmed later faced additional charges in a separate case involving at least $195 million in alleged government payments tied to fraudulent COVID-19 testing.
He has pleaded not guilty to those allegations.
The report has also drawn attention to political donations Ahmed made to Paxton’s campaign operation, totaling $190,000.
Campaign finance records cited by the Journal show that $25,000 of that amount was donated just days after Ahmed was indicted.
“Like President Trump, Ken Paxton has been politically persecuted for years, and every time, voters have seen through it and sent him back to office because they know he has always fought for Texas,” Paxton senior adviser Nick Maddux told The Wall Street Journal.
Anosh Ahmed, the former COO of Chicago’s Loretto Hospital, was indicted in federal court in Illinois over an alleged $15 million embezzlement scheme involving the hospital
Ahmed administered a COVID-19 vaccination to Eric Trump at Loretto Hospital in 2021
Sameer Suhail, a former executive in the medical supply industry, was also charged in connection with the alleged $15 million embezzlement scheme
Talarico has focused on questions surrounding Paxton’s expanding property holdings and costly travel as the Republican faces continued scrutiny over how he built his wealth while serving as Texas attorney general.
Paxton has also faced questions over his frequent travel.
A separate investigation published last week found that security for his trips had cost Texas taxpayers $3.3 million since he took office in 2015, while investigators could link only a fraction of that spending to state business.
Among the trips highlighted in earlier reporting was a visit to Augusta, Georgia, during the Masters golf tournament that cost taxpayers at least $25,000 in security expenses.
The latest RealClearPolling average puts Talarico at 48.1 percent and Paxton at 45.3 percent, a lead of 2.8 points over Talarico.
Republicans have poured money into the race in an effort to close the gap.
GOP groups spent $122 million supporting Paxton in September alone, with another $66 million in advertising reserved through Election Day.
