George said the charges were “for the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office to weaponize the government with an obvious political witch hunt.”
HOUSTON – Fort Bend County Judge KP George has been charged with money laundering charges for the third felony. A new charge has been filed in an investigation into George’s misdemeanor charges since last year.
According to prison records, George is charged with two counts of money laundering between $30,000 and $150,000. The alleged money laundering took place between January 12, 2019 and April 22, 2019.
George issued a statement Friday claiming it was a “political witch hunt.” The statement in part states, “There is nothing illegal about lending personal funds to your campaign and then paying off that loan later. This is a standard and legal practice.”
According to the Texas Ethics Committee, it is legal for candidates to lend personal funds to the campaign and get a refund. However, forging reports or using funds for non-campaign purposes is against the law. The district attorney has not provided further details regarding the charges.
According to court records, one claim is related to wire fraud. Another fee is related to tampering with the Campaign Finance Report.
After news broke about the charges, the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office issued the following statement:
“The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity/candidate against KP George last year.
The District Attorney’s Office continues to say that an investigation is ongoing and that investigation has resulted in two three-degree felony charges of money laundering, which are now publicly available. These charges are unrelated to pending misdemeanors and are assigned to the 458th District Court.
Our office remains committed to the integrity worthy of our masses and the ethics that all prosecutors swear by. And our investigation is still underway. ”
The Fort Bend County DA office confirmed that George asked himself to face the charges and later posted bail. If convicted, George could face two to ten years in prison.
This is a complete test of George’s statement.
“As an elected official, I have always been run with integrity and transparency. Let me be absolutely clear. It’s not illegal to lend personal funds to your campaign and then pay off that loan later. This is a standard and legal practice.
Unfortunately, this is an ongoing example of the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office’s office weaponizing government during an apparent period of political witch hunts. The allegations and charges are made without full context or disclosure of facts. I will delicately manipulate the story to hurt my reputation and personality.
Meanwhile, I am totally confident that the truth will win. I continue to be committed to serving and fighting for the people of Bend County with the same passion and dedication as always. ”
As you may remember, last September, George was sued for misunderstanding his identity as a candidate. This is a misdemeanor. In that case, George’s mobile phone warrant suggested that the county judge coordinated with his former Chief of Staff Talal Patel. Patel posts racist comments from his fake Facebook accounts and targets George in his 2022 reelection campaign, making him appear to be a target of hatred.
Related: Fort Bend County DA office responds to KP George’s statement judge on criminal charges
Patel faces similar allegations in his own 2024 campaign against Andy Myers for the District Three County Commissioner. Patel was arrested in June for online spoofing and misrepresentation.
The allegations against George came to light during a Patel investigation by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
Fort Bend County Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy issued a statement Friday night.
“I’m disappointed to hear of new criminal charges against county judges. These charges are serious and deeply troubling. We still need to learn a lot about these allegations, but we have to focus on continuity in governance and moving forward with the agenda that puts people first and not ourselves.”
