FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Fort Bend County Judge KP George, who’s at the center of a criminal investigation over an alleged election scheme, has been indicted.
The video above is from a previous report.
ABC13 learned of the indictment Thursday afternoon through court documents, which accuse the county judge of using a fake Facebook account under the name “Antonio Scalywag” with the “intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.”
The latest findings come after a lengthy search warrant last week revealed incriminating text messages between George and Precinct 3 Commissioner candidate Taral Patel.
READ MORE: New warrant suggests Fort Bend County Judge KP George knew about staffer’s alleged wrongdoing
The search warrant alleges that the second-term Democrat was involved in a scheme to influence his re-election in 2022. He claimed he was the target of racist social media posts that investigators believe he knew his then-chief of staff, Patel, created to work in his favor.
Patel has been charged with online impersonation but remains a candidate for Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 3.
Investigators believe Patel created fake Facebook accounts and then posted racist comments targeting George to garner sympathy. Some of those comments ended up in a collage that Patel created on social media. The warrant says investigators found text messages from Patel to George that said, “I am posting the image now.”
Immediately after the screenshot was a message from Patel that read, “Let me know if you approve, I’ll share this post,” the warrant reads.
The warrant also said George then responded with the following request: “Also add, this heinous act doesn’t represent Fort Bend County we are that most diverse and inclusive county, our diversity is our strength.”
In his latest statement, George, before his indictment, said he has “faith in the legal process” and trusts that his “name will be cleared.”
See the previous statement from KP George:
“From the outset, I have been fully cooperating with the authorities. I’ve complied with them and provided the requested items. On the advice of my attorney, I neither can comment nor answer any specific questions at this time. I will continue to perform my duties as the County Judge which citizens of Fort Bend County overwhelmingly elected me to do. My focus remains on serving the residents of Fort Bend County to the best of my ability. I have 100% faith in the legal process and trust that once all the facts are reviewed, my name will be cleared.”
