Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the East Plano Islamic Center over allegations the mosque violated state securities laws in its proposed project, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
Paxton accused EPIC, its corporate entity Community Capital Partners and its leaders of engaging in fraudulent practices while soliciting funds and says the groups failed to legally verify its statuses as "accredited investors."
The suit comes after Paxton claimed in November his office found evidence EPIC violated state and federal laws. In a letter to the Texas Securities Board, he claimed he received more than 750 documents and written responses from Community Capital as part of an investigation he opened into EPIC in March.
“The leaders behind EPIC City have engaged in a radical plot to destroy hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas land and line their own pockets,” Paxton said in a press release. “I will relentlessly bring the full force of the law against anyone who thinks they can ignore the rules and hurt Texans. The unlawful land project known as EPIC City will be stopped, and those responsible will be barred from ever creating another fraudulent operation like this again.”
KERA News reached out to EPIC and Community Capital and will update this story with any response.
The proposed development formerly known as EPIC City, which was renamed to The Meadow last month, is a 402-acre development in unincorporated Collin and Hunt counties, roughly 40 miles northeast of Dallas near the city of Josephine. It would include a new mosque, more than 1,000 single and multi-family homes, a K-12 faith-based school, senior housing, an outreach center, commercial developments, sports facilities, and a community college. It was first proposed in November 2024.
It's faced backlash from state officials and people online throughout this year. Paxton launched the first probe into the development, followed by three more state investigations and a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice over religious discrimination accusations.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
