State Rep. Reynolds convicted in solicitation of professional conduct case Accused of 'ambulance chasing for profit' scheme, Reynolds dodges felony conviction, faces sentencing phase on Monday

State Rep. Ron Reynolds talks with his attorneys Vivian King and Stephen Jackson after his 2014 conviction on six counts of misdemeanor solicitation of clients, a lesser charge than the felony barratry charge he faced. A judge set aside those convictions, but Reynolds was convicted in November, 2015 of five counts of the same offense and sentenced to a year in jail and a fine. less State Rep. Ron Reynolds talks with his attorneys Vivian King and Stephen Jackson after his 2014 conviction on six counts of misdemeanor solicitation of clients, a lesser charge than the felony barratry charge ... more Photo: Mihir Zaveri Photo: Mihir Zaveri Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close State Rep. Reynolds convicted in solicitation of professional conduct case 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

A Montgomery County jury Friday found state Rep. Ron Reynolds guilty of six counts of misdemeanor solicitation of professional employment - a lesser charge than the felony barratry charge he faced.

Reynolds stood and stared straight ahead as state District Judge Lisa Michalk read the verdict. The case is now in the punishment phase, and will continue Monday morning, almost a week after the Missouri City Democrat was re-elected to a third House term.

Prosecutor Kelly Blackburn declined to comment, stating that the case is still ongoing.

Reynolds declined comment after his conviction, referring questions to his attorney, Vivian King.

"I am not happy with it because I still believe there was no intent. It should have been a 'not guilty' verdict," King said.

Her client last fall was arrested in a sting operation along with seven other Houston-area attorneys. All were accused of participating in an "ambulance chasing for profit" scheme that revolved around a four-time felon, Robert Ramirez Valdez of Conroe.

Attorneys for Reynolds said Friday's jury conviction of six counts of misdemeanor solicitation of professional employment would not bar him from continuing to serve on the state Legislature.

Reynolds wasn't convicted of barratry, a felony in which lawyers unlawfully solicit clients. If he had been, he would have had to step down from the legislature, his attorneys said.

A representative from the Travis County Public Integrity Unit could not be reached for comment on the effect of Reynolds's conviction Friday.

Now, attorneys are set to argue before a jury to determine Reynolds' sentence. A hearing will begin Monday in Michalk's courtroom, and the judge said she expected them to wrap up by Wednesday.

Altogether, the maximum punishment for the convictions is a year in jail and a $4,000 fine. A felony barratry conviction would have carried a maximum 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Wearing a navy blue, pin-striped suit with a light blue shirt and striped tie, Reynolds stood and stared straight ahead as Michalk read the verdict Friday. While he wasn't convicted of the more serious felony barratry, his defense team was still miffed by the verdict.

King said barratry - and the law defining the crime - was complicated, possibly confounding jurors.

"The statute is very confusing," she said.

Reynolds was re-elected on Tuesday. He s a managing partner of the Bellaire law firm of Brown, Brown & Reynolds. He had denied violating the Texas law prohibiting lawyers from soliciting clients that is sometimes called "ambulance chasing."

Texas law bars lawyers - as well as licensed chiropractors, physicians and private investigators - from soliciting clients for personal injury, wrongful death, accident or disaster claims.

King said a hearing before the state bar will determine how Reynolds' solicitation case will affect his ability to practice law. She said a punishment could range from nothing to Reynolds's disbarment.

Valdez, now serving a five-year sentence for his part in the scheme, alleged that lawyers paid him thousands of dollars to scour Houston police accident reports, then make house calls to automobile accident victims and solicit them to be clients for the attorneys.

Valdez had previous convictions for assaulting a family member, drug possession and assaulting a public servant.

Reynolds, who is also a Texas Southern University adjunct professor and former Houston associate municipal judge, had said he would be found innocent.

Some 12,000 pages of documents had been procured by investigators that they said tied Reynolds to the barratry scheme - including hours of recorded audio interviews, phone records and statements from four separate banks.

The alleged scheme also involved the use of two clinics linked to the plot, Greenspoint Health and Injury and Eastex Health and Injury Center, investigators said. Valdez was also listed as a part-owner in each.

One of Reynolds' attorneys, Stephen Jackson, said the defense's argument hinged on the fact that Reynolds "had no idea" the cases were being solicited illegally.

Reynolds faced similar allegations in Harris County in 2012, when he was accused of using a chiropractic firm to persuade patients to sign contracts naming him as their lawyer before they had ever been examined or met him. However, those charges were later dismissed after a Harris County investigator who worked on the case was accused of stealing evidence in another case.

>Reynolds has been publicly sanctioned twice by the bar association for misconduct, records show.

On Tuesday, the lawmaker garnered 66 percent of the vote against his Republican opponent, David Hamilton.

Reporter Cindy Horswell contributed to this report.