Fort Bend County Judge KP George indicted, released on $1,000 bond

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - Fort Bend County Judge KP George has been indicted on a misrepresentation of identity charge after it was previously alleged he was allowed his consultant at the time and current candidate for County Commissioner Taral Patel to post social media comments impersonating people online to threaten others.

PREVIOUS STORY: Fort Bend County Judge KP George allegedly knew about fake hateful posts, search warrant says

According to court documents, George is charged with misrepresentation of identity, which is a Class A misdemeanor.

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Records accused the county judge of posing as "Antonio Scalywag" in a campaign post on his Facebook page.

In a recent search warrant, investigators searched Patel's phone and found he had access to KP George's social media accounts in 2022. They found text messages from Patel to George saying "I am posting the image now," which is believed to be referring to the collage posted on KP George's Facebook showing a lot of hateful comments.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George released a statement late Thursday night saying, "Although I am disappointed by the charges brought against me, I am confident that when all the facts are presented, justice will prevail. In this country, you are innocent until proven guilty, and I fully intend to prove my innocence in court. This evening, I voluntarily reported to the agency that held the warrant and was released on a PR Bond, demonstrating my commitment to fully cooperating with the legal process. Despite calls for my resignation, I have no intention of stepping down. My focus remains on serving the people of Fort Bend County, as I was elected to do. My office and staff will continue working tirelessly on behalf of our residents, ensuring that the County’s business moves forward without interruption. I look forward to clearing my name and continuing the important work entrusted to me by the voters."

The Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office said in a statement late Thursday, "Search warrants for Mr. George’s electronic devices were executed on September 18th in furtherance of this investigation.  Though the investigation remains ongoing, the District Attorney’s Office presented one Class A Misdemeanor charge of Misrepresentation of Identity, found in the Texas Election Code, to the Grand Jury, who subsequently indicted Mr. George as a party to the offense for which Taral Patel was indicted."

Fort Bend County Treasurer Bill Rickert issued a statement calling for the judge to step down:

As a resident of Fort Bend County and County Treasurer, I am deeply concerned about the "Fake Racism" scandal and indictments of County Judge KP George and his former Chief of Staff, Taral Patel, who is running for Commissioner of Precinct 3.

While everyone deserves a fair trial, the documented actions of these individuals have been deceptive and divisive, undermining the trust of our residents and damaging our county's global reputation.

At a time when we need to attract commercial and industrial development to alleviate the property tax burden on our community, this scandal is hindering that progress.

Rather than providing transparency, both individuals have chosen to hire lawyers and remain silent, allowing the cloud of this controversy to linger over our county indefinitely. Our global reputation cannot be restored while KP George remains in office. I call for his immediate resignation and the reimbursement of taxpayer funds used for a security detail based on what we now know were fabricated allegations of racist threats.

I urge my fellow Fort Bend County elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, to join me in demanding accountability. Our county deserves leaders committed to integrity and transparency.

This is a breaking news story. We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.