Judge KP George
Investigators believe Fort Bend County judge KP George coordinated with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, in posting from fake social media accounts in 2022 to influence the outcome of an election, a new search warrant alleges.
Patel was indicted earlier this month for the creation of several fake Facebook profiles. Investigators believe he used these fake accounts to send himself racist and hateful messages to influence the outcome of the November election.
Patel is currently on the ballot for the County’s Precinct 3 commissioner’s race which covers Sugar Land.
A spokesperson for George could not be immediately reached for comments about these new allegations. As of Friday, no records indicate that George has been charged.
The warrant signed by district judge J. Christian Becerra on Tuesday calls for collecting any “cellular communication device” belonging to George. Investigators believe that on two occasions in September 2022, George did “solicit, encourage, direct, aid or attempt to aid” Patel to misrepresent his identity in campaign communications.
Through an analysis of George’s campaign Facebook account from May to October 2022, investigators found three collages citing a barrage of racist attacks he was getting online. Investigators were able to match some of the comments to the infamous ‘Antonio Scalywag’ account they believe belongs to Patel.
Reviewing phone records, investigators found texts from Patel seeking George’s permission to post collages of the alleged online attacks.
“Let me know if you approve, I’ll share this post.” one text read.
The texts also insinuate that George was aware that Patel was using fake accounts.
In June of 2022, Patel texted George: “They are just blowing up our social media. I will use fake accounts to counter them.”
George texted back “thank you…” according to the search warrant.
These posts from the Scalywag account came just weeks before George was up for re-election against republican Trevor Nehls. George won the election with 51% of the votes.
George, the first person of color to be County Judge in Fort Bend, was first elected in 2018.
2022 wasn’t the first time George raised awareness about an alleged barrage of hurtful and racist attacks he received on Facebook. In 2020, when Patel was his chief of staff, George posted another similar collage of racist and xenophobic comments directed at his Indian heritage. Patel’s involvement, if any, in these posts is unclear.
Patel is accused of creating at least six fake online personas that use the likeness of individuals without their consent. Investigators believe Patel impersonated District Judge Surrendran Pattel and a Fort Bend County resident.
There’s links to some earlier Houston Landing stories about the Taral Patel situation if you need to get some background. I like and respect KP George and I really really hope that he’s not involved in any of this. In a subsequent Chron story, he strongly criticizes the search warrant.
In a statement Friday, George said that he has complied with authorities and is considered a witness in the investigation into Patel’s alleged actions, not a target.
George said he was frustrated with the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers for issuing and executing the search warrant.
“While I respect the legal process and willingly complied with the search warrant, I must express my deep disappointment in how this event was conducted,” George said in the statement. “Had I been treated with courtesy and respect, I would have voluntarily surrendered the requested items in person to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.”
By issuing a warrant, George said, authorities have subjected him to public criticism.
“The aggressive and unnecessary approach used has fueled unwarranted speculation, led to public slander, and created an unsafe environment for both my family and me,” George said. “I have retained legal counsel to ensure my rights are fully protected throughout this process.”
The district attorney and the Texas Rangers had declined comment due to the ongoing investigation.
That’s good to hear, and I hope that this is indeed all that there is for him. Reform Austin and the Chron have more.
So, the Chief of Staff commits a crime, electronic media clearly indicates the county judge was involved, and the judge’s response is to attack the DA’s Office and Texas Rangers? Well, to resolve the issue, we clearly just need to… get rid of the DA. Problem solved.
I am so glad that crime is so low in Ft Bend County that they can spend resources investigating fake Facebook accounts.