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The highest elected official in a county in suburban Houston was indicted on Thursday over allegations he created pretend and racist social media posts when he ran for re-election in 2022.
A grand jury indicted Fort Bend County Choose KP George on a misdemeanor cost of misrepresentation of id of a candidate.
The indictment alleges that on Sept. 26, 2022, he posed as a Fb consumer named “Antonio Scalywag” in a marketing campaign communication posted on George’s Fb web page “with intent to injure a candidate or affect the results of an election.”
The indictment didn’t specify the election that was allegedly influenced or the candidate that was injured. However on the time, George, a Democrat, was working for re-election as county choose towards Trever Nehls, who’s the dual brother of Texas congressman Troy Nehls. A county choose serves because the chief government officer of a county in Texas.
George was indicted after authorities accused him in a Sept. 17 search warrant of working along with his former chief of employees, Taral Patal, to make use of the “Antonio Scalywag” alias to submit racist social media posts concentrating on George so as to garner sympathy for the county choose. After the search warrant was issued, George’s cell telephones and pc have been seized.
George, who was born in India and later turned a U.S. citizen, is the primary particular person of coloration to function county choose in Fort Bend, a various county positioned southwest of Houston. It has been one of many quickest rising counties within the U.S. lately. He was first elected as county choose in 2018.
Patal, who’s working for a county commissioner place within the Nov. 5 election, was indicted earlier this month on 4 prices of on-line impersonation and 4 prices of misinterpretation of id. Authorities allege Patal additionally used the “Antonio Scalywag” alias to make racist posts to assist him in his personal race for county commissioner.
A spokesperson for George mentioned in an e-mail Thursday that the county choose wouldn’t instantly touch upon the indictment. The Fort Bend County District Legal professional’s Workplace, which led the investigation, declined to remark. Frank Yeverino, an lawyer for Patel, didn’t instantly reply to a name looking for remark.
In a press release final week, George mentioned he believed he was a witness and never a goal of the investigation.
“I’ve not been charged with any crime, nor do I count on to be,” George had mentioned in final week’s assertion.
A minimum of one Fort Bend County commissioner, Vincent Morales, known as for George to resign following his indictment.
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