FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – A judge has declined to dismiss an indictment against Fort Bend County Judge KP George on Monday.
George was indicted by a grand jury on Sept. 26 on a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresenting the identity of a candidate.
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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 a social media 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.”
On Thursday, Oct. 3, George’s attorney, Chad Dick, filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, arguing the state did not comply with a mandatory provision of Article III of the Texas Constitution, according to court records.
The records allege the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office did not have the authority to invoke the jurisdiction of a trial court for a criminal prosecution when the case was indicted because the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction absent a final determination by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC).
The records allege the prosecutor filed a sworn complaint with the commission two days before indicting the case and did “not allow TEC to initiate the administrative process much less exhaust all remedies.”
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office released the following statement:
“This office is committed to protecting the integrity of the political process in Fort Bend County, regardless of who is implicated in the offenses. Voters are entitled to a fair and transparent electoral system that is not undermined by deceptive, divisive, and inflammatory political communications. The misrepresentation of identity law – and this office’s enforcement of that law – is intended to deter others from engaging in the conduct described in Mr. George’s indictment.
“We look forward to presenting this case to a jury and seeing that justice is done in this important matter.”