Dallas GOP congressional candidate Brad Namdar accused of soliciting sex from

A woman who works as a professional escort says Brad Namdar, a GOP congressional candidate and anti-human trafficking advocate, solicited sex from her on two occasions last spring.

The escort said she first met Namdar in May, as he was gearing up for his congressional run. She provided The Dallas Morning News with evidence, including videos, of the alleged sexual encounters. The News is not naming her because she fears retaliation from Namdar and his supporters.

The News also uncovered allegations through school records that Namdar inappropriately touched a student when he was a teacher and coach at a Dallas high school. Child Protective Services was notified about the alleged incident, but local law enforcement officials said they have no records of such a report.

Namdar, 33, denied all of the allegations. He said that text messages and video footage the woman provided of their alleged sexual encounters are fake and that he has been threatened in the past by people involved in trafficking.

“There’s dangerous people. They’ll manufacture things. They can make videos. They can do things that [are] pretty dangerous and since I have decided to run for Congress, it’s only increased threats I’ve received on my life,” Namdar told The News in a recent 90-minute, in-person interview.

Namdar also denied ever touching a student inappropriately and questioned the validity of public records from 2015 recounting the alleged incident.

“It’s fake, never happened,” Namdar said of the student’s allegation.

Namdar is a Dallas small business owner who in recent years has made a name for himself as an anti-trafficking advocate. He has held trainings on how to spot and fight trafficking and joined business groups focused on the problem.

Namdar is one of six Republicans hoping to oust U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas. The 32nd Congressional District snakes from Balch Springs along Far East Dallas and up to Richardson. Parts of Dallas, Collin and Denton counties are included in the district.

In recent weeks, Namdar has distinguished himself in the crowded field by receiving endorsements from U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, the Republican who held the seat before Allred, and The Dallas Morning News editorial board.

Namdar has made trafficking a key issue in his congressional run.

Under Texas law, solicitation of prostitution is defined as knowingly offering or agreeing to pay another person for sex. Prostitution is offering or agreeing to receive money in exchange for sex. Human trafficking, by contrast, is forcing someone into prostitution or labor, or it involves a victim who is a minor.

All three are illegal.

The woman allegedly solicited by Namdar is over the age of 18 and refers to herself as an escort. She told The News she works voluntarily. The woman decided to make her allegations public after she said Namdar failed to pay her for their second sexual encounter.

During their first meeting, the woman said, Namdar talked about his advocacy work. He told her he helps trafficking victims find assistance, she said.

“He never asked, like, ‘Do you want to get out of this? Are you being forced to?’” the woman told The News. “He never asked me any…