FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Following his indictment by a Fort Bend County grand jury Thursday, Fort Bend County Judge KP George was booked into jail.
According to Fort Bend County judicial records, George was booked into jail at 7:17 p.m. Thursday on the misdemeanor charge of misrepresenting the identity of a candidate. He’s accused in a social media hoax to influence his election. His bond was set at $1,000, according to the records.
Recommended Videos
In a statement, George said he turned himself in on the warrant and was released on bond.
On Thursday, a grand jury indicted George on the Class A misdemeanor, according to court records. The charge stems from allegations of a coordinated social media imposture with his former chief of staff Taral Patel, who was arrested back in June for a felony charge of online misrepresentation for his role in the hoax.
During George’s successful re-election campaign in 2022, the incumbent county judge claimed he was being victimized by “racist and xenophobic” attacks. However, accusations claim that George coordinated with Patel to make some of the targeted posts in order to garner sympathy and support. Sources claim that one of the accounts they used for these posts had the screenname “Antonio Scalywag.”
Trever Nehls, George’s opponent in the 2022 election, released the following statement to KPRC 2 Investigates:
“Today’s indictment of FBC Judge KP George is not surprising to me. I felt throughout the entire 2022 campaign cycle that he was spreading hate and deceitful lies to manipulate voters. The great people of FBC deserve a County Judge who stands for integrity.”
On Sept. 20, George was ordered to turn over his “cellular communication devices” to authorities in connection with the investigation. Following the announcement of the search warrant, George released a statement, saying that he was fully cooperating with investigators and was considered “a witness, not a target.”
On Sept. 23, George appeared publicly for the first time since his involvement in the investigation was reported at a 2024-2025 budget meeting. There, he spoke with KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel, doubling down on his innocence.
“I’ve been fully cooperating with the authorities, and I have complied with them and have provided all the requested items. On the advice of my attorney, I neither can comment nor answer and questions about the specifics of this situation. I will continue to perform my duties as the county judge the citizens of Fort Bend County overwhelmingly elected me to do. My focus remains on serving the residents of Fort Bend County to the best of my ability and I have 100% faith in the legal process, and I trust that once all the facts are reviewed, my name will be cleared,” George said.
After the indictment was made public, Fort Bend County Pct. 1 Constable Chad Norvell released a Facebook post calling the situation “deeply embarrassing” and suggesting for Geroge to step down.
Fort Bend County Pct. 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales also called for George’s resignation in a Facebook post.