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Dallas County DA Facing Contempt Charges

Dallas County's district attorney faces an FBI inquiry and a contempt-of-court order that could potentially land him in jail.

Craig Watkins has built a national reputation as an advocate for criminal justice, But just as he's gearing up for a re-election bid, he faces a bitter fight over his office's prosecution of an oil fortune heir for mortgage fraud. A district judge earlier this year held Watkins in contempt after he refused to answer allegations that he pushed the prosecution as a favor to a campaign donor.

Watkins is due in court Monday for the contempt hearing. If found guilty, he faces anything from a verbal reprimand to jail time.

Watkins became district attorney in 2007 and won national acclaim for his office's work in freeing the wrongfully convicted.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.