HOUSTON – Fort Bend County investigators have issued 13 search warrants in the last month related to Taral Patel, a candidate for Fort Bend County Commissioner – Precinct 3.
Patel was arrested in June on a felony charge of online misrepresentation and a class-A misdemeanor charge of identity misrepresentation.
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Following his arrest, investigator Evett Kelly discovered that Patel allegedly created fake social media accounts to post discouraging remarks about his opponent, Andy Meyers, and to direct racial attacks at himself.
Sources indicate that Patel did this to garner sympathy from voters and boost his candidacy.
According to court records, these activities began in October 2022 and continued until May 2024.
The latest search warrants cover the examination of half dozen computers now in Investigator Kelly’s possession, along with a flash drive and Patel’s Google phone. Investigators are scrutinizing various email accounts linked to Patel’s smartphone, including one particularly noteworthy address: mountaingoatzrule@gmail.com.
This email is reportedly connected to four accounts tied to Patel’s campaign and three accounts associated with Fort Bend County Judge KP George.
Patel, a former Chief of Staff for Fort Bend County Judge KP George, left his position in March 2021 after receiving a “Presidential Appointment from the Biden-Harris Administration.” In May 2023, Patel returned to Fort Bend County and announced his candidacy for Fort Bend County Commissioner – Precinct 3.
The warrants also reveal that a couple in Fort Bend County had their photos used in a fake account called “Antonio Scalywag.”
KPRC 2 Investigates had previously reported on this account in June. Investigator Kelly alleges that Patel used the email associated with ‘mountaingoatzrule’ and the couple’s photo to create the account.
The name Richard Melton and the email address meltonese93@gmail.com were also linked to Patel’s activities. When approached, the couple whose photos were used denied any knowledge of Melton or any connection to their home.
Another fake account connected to Patel was “Paul Rosenstein.” Using an email provided by Commissioner Meyers, Investigator Kelly obtained a search warrant for Google, which revealed an IP address linked to Starry, Inc. in Washington, D.C. Subsequent investigation tied this IP address to Patel and his Pixel 6 Pro device. Patel reportedly accessed both the “Antonio Scalywag” Facebook account and the emails mountaingoatzrule@gmail.com and paulrosenstein73@gmail.com.
Additionally, an email tied to Patel’s Sugar Land residence, rubinaghosh4@gmail.com, was linked to a Facebook account under the name “Jennifer Tremaine.” One of the warrants indicates that Tremaine’s account was connected to “xenophobic comments” featured in a flyer by Patel as evidence that he was being racially targeted by voters.
Despite facing a felony charge, Patel remains in the race and has not publicly addressed his arrest or the ongoing investigation.