Texas Official Accused of Making Fake Online Posts to Influence Election

A Texas county judge has been accused of making fake social media posts in an attempt to influence an election.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George was indicted on Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity.
George, a Democrat, allegedly posed as a Facebook user named “Antonio Scalywag” in a campaign communication posted on George’s Facebook page on September 26, 2022, “with intent to injure a candidate or influence the result of an election,” according to the indictment.
It is unclear which election the indictment refers to, but at the time of the post, George was running for reelection as county judge against Trever Nehls—the twin brother of Representative Troy Nehls, a Texas Republican.
Earlier this month, George was accused in a search warrant of working with his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, to use the “Antonio Scalywag” name to post racist social media posts targeting George to get sympathy from others. After the warrant was issued on September 17, George’s cellphones and computer were seized.
George was born in India before becoming a United States citizen. He is the first person of color to serve as county judge in Fort Bend, having been elected in 2018. A county judge serves as the chief executive officer of a county in Texas. Fort Bend is a diverse county roughly a 40-minute drive southwest of Houston.
George said in a statement that he was disappointed that charges were filed against him but was 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,” George said. He turned himself in to authorities Thursday evening and was later released.
Following George’s indictment, a Fort Bend county commissioner, Vincent Morales, called for the county judge to resign. However, George said, “I have no intention of stepping down.”
Patel was indicted earlier this month on four charges of online impersonation and four charges of misinterpretation of identity. Patel, who is running for a county commissioner position as a Democrat in November’s election, is accused of also using the “Antonio Scalywag” name to make racist posts to help him win his race.
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office said it included George in its investigation of Patel and that George was indicted “as a party to the offense for which Taral Patel was indicted.”
Patel faces a third-degree felony charge of online impersonation and a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.