Judge KP George
Fort Bend County Judge KP George, already facing legal troubles, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of money laundering, according to county jail records and the district attorney’s office.
George, a Democrat first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, said in a statement posted to Facebook that he had loaned personal money to his campaign and later repaid it.
“(T)here is nothing illegal about loaning personal funds to my own campaign and later repaying that loan,” he said. “This is a standard and lawful practice.”
The county judge also accused the district attorney’s office of “weaponizing” the government against him.
“Allegations and accusations are being made without full context or disclosure of the facts—deliberately manipulating the narrative to tarnish my reputation and character,” he said.
George was indicted in September on a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity. He’s accused of working with former staffer Taral Patel to create fake racist attacks against his own campaign on social media.
But prosecutors say the money laundering charge is unrelated to George’s prior indictment.
“The District Attorney’s Office has continuously stated that the investigation was ongoing, and that investigation has now led to two 3rd-degree felony indictments for Money Laundering, which were made public today,” the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “These charges are unrelated to the pending misdemeanor and are assigned to the 458th District Court. Our office remains committed to the integrity our public deserves, and the ethics to which all prosecutors are sworn to. And our investigation remains ongoing.”
George is accused of laundering equal to or more than $30,000 but less than $150,000. According to court records, the money laundering charges are connected to alleged wire fraud and tampering with a campaign finance report.
See here and here for some background. KP George is innocent until proven guilty and is entitled to that presumption of innocence. He really ought to give serious thought to abandoning his re-election campaign, and also to maybe stepping down and sorting out his private life. There are already numerous announced challengers for his office. I wish him well and I hope he hears what I have to say. The Chron, which has a copy of the indictments in the article, has more.
Wish you had been as nice to my Latino and Latina friends that you and the media raked over the coals, and they were not charged with anything, others were.
Never a word of apology from either.