Photo: Jeremy Carter / Houston Chronicle

A district court judge in Harris County has been suspended after she was indicted on federal wire fraud charges for allegedly misspending campaign donations.

Judge Alexandra Smoots-Thomas, 44, will be removed from her bench without pay until the State Commission on Judicial Conduct determines otherwise, the oversight board said Tuesday, the same day it was presented with the indictment and ordered her suspension.

“We’re not surprised, but we’re still very disappointed that the state chose to take that action,” Smoots-Thomas’ attorney, Kent Schaffer, said. “It just adds to the fight that we have before us.

Smoots-Thomas, who presides over the 164th District Court and has jurisdiction over civil cases within Harris County, turned herself in to a federal magistrate and was released on bond on Friday, the day the indictment was unsealed. Prosecutors said a federal grand jury returned the seven-count indictment on Oct. 24.

The federal corruption charges accuse her of misusing $24,892 in campaign funds for personal expenses, including a home mortgage, private school tuition, a Prada handbag and a ring from Zales. Each of these purchases was made using a debit card connected to the JP Morgan Chase account the judge used for her campaign, according to the charges.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Harris County judge accused of misspending campaign donations on mortgage, Prada purse and private school tuition

The indictment alleges the judge solicited the campaign contributions for her re-election bids in 2012 and 2016, and filed false campaign finance reports to the Texas Ethics Commission to hide her crimes, prosecutors said.

Her attorney has alleged that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was targeting Smoots-Thomas because she is a black female Democrat in a county where few judges are Republicans.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct has the authority to suspend judges, but can only recommend their removal to the Texas Supreme Court after conducting an investigation, according to the commission’s procedures.

Smoots-Thomas has rarely sat on her bench this year, Schaffer said, because she has breast cancer and has undergone several rounds of treatments.

The judge could face a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison as well as a maximum $250,000 fine.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

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