Fort Bend County Judge KP George was indicted over allegations he created a fake account to make racist social media posts about him to influence elections. He was arrested Thursday and booked into Fort Bend County jail.
Court documents say George posed as a Facebook user named “Antonio Scallywag” with intent “to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election.”
The alleged incident occurred on September 26, 2022, during George’s campaign against Trever Nehls, brother of Texas Congressman Troy Nehls. The indictment claims that George, along with former chief of staff Taral Patel, orchestrated a series of racist posts against themselves using fake Facebook profiles.
The scandal began to unravel after a search warrant issued on September 17 led to the seizure of George’s cell phones and computer. According to the Houston Chronicle, George said he felt “deep disappointment” with authorities and called the search warrant “unnecessary.”
“While I respect the legal process and willingly complied with the search warrant, I must express my deep disappointment in how this event was conducted,” George said in a Sept. 20 statement. “Had I been treated with courtesy and respect, I would have voluntarily surrendered the requested items in person to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office.
He also said the search warrant had exposed him to public criticism.
“The aggressive and unnecessary approach used has fueled unwarranted speculation, led to public slander, and created an unsafe environment for both my family and me.”
The investigation by the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office expanded after Patel, who is running for a county commissioner position in the November 5 election, was earlier indicted on multiple counts of online impersonation and misrepresentation. Prosecutors allege Patel used the same alias to help his own campaign by posting inflammatory messages to generate public support.
Despite calls from County Commissioner Vincent Morales for George to resign, the judge has made it clear he has no intention of stepping down. His legal team asserts that the charges are baseless and that George will continue serving Fort Bend County as he awaits trial.
“I will continue to perform my duties as the county judge which citizens of Fort Bend County overwhelmingly elected me to do,” George said. “I have 100% faith in the legal process and trust that once all the facts are reviewed, my name will be cleared.”
