A new search warrant alleges Fort Bend County Judge KP George knew that County Commissioner Precinct 3 candidate Taral Patel was using fake social media accounts.
Patel worked on George’s campaign and as his chief of staff. Recently, Patel was indicted on multiple misdemeanor and felony charges.
Prosecutors say Patel impersonated others, using aliases to attack his opponents and post racist comments under his own social media accounts. Patel used those comments in a campaign press release last year as evidence he faced xenophobic attacks on social media, court records allege.
Now, a search warrant alleges that in two separate instances, George did “solicit, encourage, direct, aid, or attempt to aid Taral Vipul Patel to misrepresent his (Patel’s) identity in a campaign communication with intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.”
According to the district attorney’s office, George is not currently facing any criminal charges.
On June 21, 2022, Patel texted George about social media backlash to a burn ban the judge had signed.
According to the warrant, Patel texted the judge, saying “They are just blowing up our social media.. I will use fake account to counter them.” The judge responded with a text thanking Patel, the warrant alleges.
Investigators believe Patel also created a social media post for George’s campaign in 2022, highlighting racist remarks the judge faced on social media. Patel texted the judge to get approval before posting the collage of xenophobic comments.
However, search warrants allege Patel may have been the person posting some of the racist comments, using aliases.
About a week later, Patel texted George to approve another social media post for the judge’s campaign page. The post condemned a screenshot of Facebook comments that encouraged people to steal George’s campaign signs. However, one of the comments was posted by Patel’s alias, “Antonio Scalywag,” the search warrant said.
Through a spokesperson, George declined to comment. Patel could not be immediately reached for a statement.
Patel’s opponent for precinct 3 county commissioner, Republican incumbent Andy Meyers, issued a statement in response to the allegations.
“The recent revelations reported by the Houston media are deeply disturbing,” Meyers said in the statement. “If these allegations are accurate, I call on Judge KP George to immediately resign as County Judge and for Taral Patel to withdraw from the Commissioner’s race. Such divisive and criminal actions have no place in Fort Bend County, the most diverse county in the United States.”
Source: Houston Public Media
