Houston — A top elected official in a suburban Houston county was indicted on Thursday for allegedly creating fake racist social media posts while running for re-election in 2022.
A grand jury indicted Fort Bend County Judge KP George on a misdemeanor charge of misrepresenting the identity of a candidate.
According to the indictment, on September 26, 2022, “Antonio Scaliwag” in a campaign communication posted on Mr. George’s Facebook page “with the intent to harm the candidates or influence the outcome of the election.” He is said to have posed as a Facebook user named .
The indictment does not specify which elections were allegedly influenced or which candidates were injured. But at the time, George, a Democrat, was running for re-election as county judge against Trevor Neals, the twin brother of Texas Rep. Troy Neals. County judges serve as the chief executive officers of Texas counties.
George said authorities targeted him in a search warrant on Sept. 17, using the pseudonym “Antonio Scaliwag” and colluding with former chief of staff Talal Patel to garner sympathy for the county. He was charged with making racist social media posts. judge. George’s mobile phone and computer were seized after a search warrant was served.
George, who was born in India and later became a U.S. citizen, is the first person of color to serve as county judge in Fort Bend, a diverse county southwest of Houston. In recent years, it has been one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. He was first elected as county judge in 2018.
Patel, who is running for county commissioner in the Nov. 5 election, was indicted earlier this month on four counts of online impersonation and four counts of mistaken identity. Authorities allege that Patel made racist posts under the pseudonym “Antonio Scaliwag” to support his campaign for county commissioner.
George said in a statement that he was disappointed by the charges, but was confident that “justice will prevail once all the facts are known.” I am innocent and I intend to prove my innocence.” court. “
George said he turned himself in to authorities Thursday night and was later released on personal recognizance.
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, which led the investigation, expanded its investigation into Mr. Patel to include Mr. George, and a county judge announced that Mr. Talal Patel was charged “as a party to the crimes with which he is charged.”
Mr. Patel’s attorney, Frank Everino, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
At least one Fort Bend County commissioner, Vincent Morales, has called for George to resign following his indictment.
“I have no intention of resigning,” George said.
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A previous version of this article misspelled former chief of staff Talal Patel’s last name as Patal.
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Follow Juan A. Lozano: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
