FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — A warrant obtained by KHOU 11 has been issued for Fort Bend County Judge KP George's cellular devices. The search warrant filed by a Texas Ranger suggests the county judge coordinated with an employee who used a fake Facebook account to post racist comments targeting George during his 2022 reelection campaign.
That employee, Taral Patel, faces similar allegations in his own 2024 campaign for county commissioner.
The allegations against George came to light during an investigation of Patel by the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office that led to Patel's arrest in June on charges of online impersonation and misrepresentation.
In a statement, George expressed "deep disappointment" at the way the investigation was handled and accused investigators of an "aggressive and unnecessary approach" that has fueled speculation and led to "public slander." (Scroll down for the full statement.)
George was supposed to be at an event Friday night but he didn't show up. A staff member said he was meeting with his attorney.
They said Patel's fake account under the name "Antonio Scalywag" posted racist attacks against himself. In a press release claiming he was a victim of the attacks, he included a collage of the posts by "Scalywag."
The investigator learned the same alias had also been used to attack Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers before Patel launched his campaign to run against Meyers.
The investigation revealed that the alleged fake account was using a profile picture taken from a Needville resident who told investigators it was used without his permission.
Investigator Evett Kelly with the Fort Bend DA's Office determined the "Antonio Scalywag" account was attached to an email account and phone number associated with Patel, according to the warrant. The records from the subpoena also reportedly showed that the profile picture on the account was uploaded in October 2022 from an IP address associated with Patel.
Patel worked as a consultant for KP George's 2022 reelection campaign. According to the warrant, George issued a press release claiming he was the target of racist attacks that investigators now say came from the same "Antonio Scalywag" account.
According to the warrant, cell phone records from Patel's phone showed a conversation between him and a contact saved as KP George discussing the press release and screenshots of the racist comments. Patel had asked him to approve the release. The contact requested an addition be made to the text of the post.
In a different conversation, Patel texted the contact saved as KP George, "They are just blowing up our social media.. I will use fake account to counter them," according to the warrant.
The contact responded, "Thank you," according to the warrant, before Patel responded with specific language to use in a post that investigators said was similar to a comment later posted by the "Antonio Scalywag" account.
The search warrant for George's phone alleges that an email address allegedly used by Patel for the fake account, mountaingoatzrule@gmail.com, was on a phone associated with multiple other email accounts, including electkpgeorge@gmail.com, info@kpgeorge.com and kpgeorge@kpgeorge.com.
The Texas Ranger concluded that "although the text messages appear to show that Patel is the person who published communications to KP George's Facebook page, the text messages appear to show that they were posted with KP George's knowledge and permission."
George's phone and other cellular devices will now be analyzed. He issued the following statement late Friday afternoon.
"I have fully complied with the search warrant executed, during which my cellular devices and computer were seized. I was informed, by the Texas Rangers and the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, that these items were requested as part of an investigation where I am considered a witness, not a target. I have not been charged with any crime, nor do I expect to be. 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. 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. Instead, 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. I have retained legal counsel to ensure my rights are fully protected throughout this process.”
High-profile defense attorney Rusty Hardin confirmed his firm is representing George.
Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers, who is running against Patel, called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and said George should resign immediately if they're true. Here's his full statement.
“The recent revelations reported by the Houston media are deeply disturbing. 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.”
Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle called the allegations "shameful."
“It’s shameful, it’s dishonorable, and it appears to be criminal," Eberle said. “I’d use the word 'shocked' but when things came out about Patel, you always felt there was something larger going on."
Fort Bend County Democratic Party Chairman Fred Taylor also issued a statement saying, "I believe in due process and don’t want to rush to judgment but believe there’s no room for negative campaigning."