Looters and price gougers who further victimize people suffering from Hurricane Harvey will face strict penalties and possibly jail time, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday.
"The legislators are taking this very seriously," Paxton told Fox News' "America's Newsroom" program. "[Price gougers] can be fined up to $20,000, and if you do this to someone 65 and older, you can be fined up to $250,000."
He said his office has gotten several complaints on its hotline and is receiving pictures from people reporting people who are overcharging for basic necessities like water, gasoline, or shelter, said Paxton.
"People are selling cases of water for $100," said Paxton, and his office has gotten pictures of places charging $20 for a gallon of gasoline, so technology has been "greatly helpful to us in tracking this down."
There also have been some cases of looting, but Paxton said he does think the nightly curfew is helping.
"It is frustrating when you're trying to focus on saving lives and you have to deal with looters. It is extremely frustrating, but I don't think we have had that many instances of it," said Paxton. "I think we might see more, but as the water keeps coming, it is even hard for the looters to get around."
Law enforcement officers will need to make the determination, however, whether people are stealing items they need for survival for themselves or family members or if they are stealing expensive items such as televisions.
"Someone just trying to get water or food to survive, that is a whole different deal than someone coming into your house to steal everything you have," said Paxton.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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