AUSTIN, Texas — Former employees of the Texas Funeral Service Commission alleged that Gov. Greg Abbott’s top advisers used the agency to intensify an investigation into the East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC), raising concerns about political influence and religious bias in state regulatory actions.
Sarah Sanders and Christopher Burnett, former attorneys at the commission, said in interviews that the agency initially treated allegations against EPIC as a routine matter involving claims that the mosque was performing funeral services without a license.
They said the investigation changed after former executive director Scott Bingaman raised the case with an adviser in the governor’s office.
Burnett said the approach to the case shifted after that contact.
“I think from the get-go that it seemed to me that there was a rather orchestrated attempt to drum up controversy,” Burnett said.
A recorded phone call obtained by KERA News showed Alex Aragon, a budget and policy adviser to the governor, discussing potential legal approaches to block EPIC from obtaining a funeral service license. In the recording, Aragon referenced possible restrictions tied to “moral and ethics code.”
“The idea here is you don’t want them operating, period,” Aragon said during the call.
Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, said in a statement that coordination between the governor’s office and state agencies is standard practice.
He also said the administration has taken action to address what it considers unlawful discrimination and security concerns.
“The Governor has been clear that state-sponsored DEI practices violate the Constitution,” Mahaleris said in a statement. He also referenced concerns about “Sharia law” and “no-go zones.”
EPIC and a related proposed housing development in North Texas have faced multiple state investigations initiated by agencies including the attorney general’s office and the Texas Funeral Service Commission.
The commission issued a cease-and-desist order last year directing EPIC to stop alleged funeral service operations without a license.
Former commission staff said the order was drafted with input from the governor’s office, including changes that directed potential referrals to the Collin County District Attorney.
Sanders said the involvement of the governor’s office altered standard procedures.
“Having not done criminal law ever, it took me a minute to realize how strange this was,” Sanders said.
EPIC has denied operating an unlicensed funeral home and said it only connected families with licensed providers while conducting religious rites.
The mosque also filed a lawsuit alleging state actions against it violated First Amendment protections and constituted regulatory overreach.
In response, state officials have said investigations into EPIC were prompted by complaints and were handled according to standard regulatory procedures.
A recording cited by KERA News showed Aragon discussing possible legal grounds for denying EPIC a license, including references to regulatory discretion.
“The commission can decide who gets a license and who doesn’t,” former executive director Scott Bingaman said in response during the call.
Sanders and Burnett said they later raised concerns internally about communications between the agency and the governor’s office, including requests to delete emails. Sanders said she preserved records and provided them to authorities.
Both attorneys were later dismissed from the commission, along with Bingaman, who has since filed a lawsuit challenging his termination.
The status of the investigation into EPIC remains unclear. Some related probes have been closed or resolved, while others remain ongoing, including actions by state and federal agencies.
EPIC continues to face scrutiny from multiple investigations involving allegations related to licensing, housing development plans, and financial activity.
Officials from the Texas Funeral Service Commission and the governor’s office have not provided additional public updates on the status of the agency’s investigation.
