Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit for alleged sewage violations in Loving County related to an Indiana man’s political takeover plot.
The state requested a temporary restraining order against Malcolm Tanner over sewage disposal violations on his property. The legal action targets what Paxton calls an illegal scheme threatening the health of women and children living on Tanner’s land without proper waste treatment facilities.
Tanner, a Crawfordsville, Indiana resident, owns two five-acre tracts in Loving County with no utilities or improvements. Despite the lack of infrastructure, he has invited numerous people to live on the property — without providing the sewage disposal systems required by state law — allegedly for the purpose of inflating the county’s voter rolls.
The temporary restraining order would prohibit Tanner from discharging human sewage that could contaminate soil or groundwater. It would also ban new residents from moving onto the property until it complies with Texas health codes.
“Indiana resident Malcolm Tanner has no right to try and take over Loving County with illegal schemes that endanger real Texans,” said Attorney General Paxton. “His deceptive and unlawful scheme to lure people with free housing for the purpose of conducting a political takeover is a disgustingly fraudulent plot to line his own pockets.”
Paxton added: “I will not stand by while frauds try to carve up Texas for themselves and make everyone sicker and less safe along the way.”
The lawsuit stems from an ongoing state investigation into Tanner’s activities. Through social media videos, Tanner has promoted free housing offers in exchange for helping him achieve political goals in Loving County. He has also announced his intentions to run in the 2028 presidential election.
The attorney general’s office characterized the Loving County operation as a deceptive plot endangering both Texas residents and those drawn in by Tanner’s promises.