RICHMOND, Texas (Covering Katy News) — A jury found Fort Bend County Judge KP George guilty of felony money laundering Friday afternoon, ending a trial that George and his attorneys had long called a politically motivated prosecution.
According to KTRK ABC 13 reporter Nick Natario, George looked shocked at the verdict and said nothing.
The verdict was delivered in the 458th District Court before Judge Maggie Jaramillo at the Fort Bend County Justice Center in Richmond. The 10-man, 2-woman jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon and was instructed to reconvene Friday morning to continue deliberations.
Jaramillo will sentence George. George elected to have the judge sentence him rather than the jury.
He faces two to 10 years in prison. George is expected to appeal the conviction.
Prosecutors alleged George used more than $46,000 in campaign funds to make a down payment on a house and pay his property taxes. During closing arguments, Assistant District Attorney Katherine Peterson argued George was not truthful in multiple campaign finance reports and used campaign funds for personal benefit.
"We have endured so much hate and lies in the media from the defense team," said the District Attorney's Office spokesman Wesley Wittig. "We knew that the truth was in the courtroom and and the truth prevailed."
The defense argued throughout the trial that the money represented lawful repayments of personal loans George had made to his own campaign over the years. "You can't steal money from yourself, which is effectively what the [Fort Bend County District Attorney's] office is trying to say," defense attorney Jared Woodfill told jurors.
The defense also argued that campaign finance reporting is complex and that any administrative errors should be handled by the Texas Ethics Commission, not prosecuted as felonies.
"I was surprised by the verdict," lead defense attorney Jared Woodfill. "Given the, the evidence or the lack of evidence. I clearly thought there was reasonable doubt, but every good lawyer will tell you that you never know what a jury's gonna do."
George, who was first elected as a Democrat in 2018 and reelected in 2022, was already on his way out of office regardless of the verdict. Following his indictment, he switched parties and joined the GOP but finished last in a five-candidate Republican primary March 3.
George still faces a separate misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity. Prosecutors have accused him of working with former staffer Taral Patel to post fake racist attacks against his own 2022 reelection campaign on social media to generate public sympathy. Patel pleaded guilty in 2025 in connection with that scheme. George's trial on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled for May.
Read More: George will remain county judge, as least for now.
Who we are: Covering Katy News is independently owned and operated by professional journalists with more than 50 years of combined experience. Unlike many other local media outlets, we do not accept special purpose district funding — such as from MUDs, drainage districts or other taxing entities — nor do we accept funding from any government source, whether municipal, county, state or federal. We are self-sustaining — no outside investors — supported entirely by local advertisers. Our owner and publisher, Dennis Spellman, and his staff live locally, so we understand local issues. Since 2022, Spellman has also served county residents in a communications role for Fort Bend County Pct. 3. Since our founding in 2011, our editorial decisions have been made independently — and that will never change.