RICHMOND, TEXAS (Covering Katy News) — Fort Bend County court records indicate that Taral Patel, the Democratic nominee for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, was indicted on Tuesday on four felony counts of online impersonation and four misdemeanor counts of Misrepresentation of Identity.
The indictment amplifies the legal challenges confronting Patel's campaign, with allegations that he stole identities, fabricated racist social media posts to appear as though they came from his opponent's supporters, and conducted media interviews at local, national, and global levels to promote the scam and raise funds for his campaign.
Patel, 30, was initially arrested on June 12 after allegedly creating a fake Facebook account under the name “Antonio Scalywag,” where he is accused of using another man’s image to send racist messages to himself but claimed they were from supporters of his political opponent Commissioner Andy Meyers. The arrest led to charges of online impersonation, a third-degree felony, and misrepresentation of identity, a Class A misdemeanor.
Investigators also uncovered evidence that Patel impersonated Democratic Fort Bend County 240th Criminal District Court Judge Surendran Pattel (no relation), who was originally set to preside over Patel’s criminal case but was forced to recuse himself when he became a victim of candidate Patel's alleged illegal activities. The discovery was made after investigators seized Patel’s electronic devices and found evidence linking the fake judge’s Facebook account to an email address associated with Patel.
To advance their investigation, the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office and the Texas Rangers subpoenaed records from several organizations, including Facebook, Google. These records provided crucial evidence, leading to the indictments. Like candidate Patel, District Attorney Brian Middleton is also a Democrat.
When presented with the fake account, Judge Pattel confirmed that he did not create the profile and had not authorized anyone else to do so.
Investigators also believe Patel impersonated a man from Pennsylvania and other political figures in an effort to harm his opponents both Democrat and Republican.
Candidate Patel, who previously served as the chief of staff to Fort Bend County Judge KP George, and had a political appointment as a Biden Administration staffer while he attended law school in Washington, DC has not responded to requests from several media organizations for comment regarding the the charges.
Patel released a press release, with a collage of the phony racist posts, conducted numerous media interviews at home and abroad, and even solicited political donations after he publicized the phony racist attacks on his campaign. What he never did was ask for law enforcement to investigate who was sending the racist messages.
Patel's opponent, incumbent Andy Meyers, says he did not initially know if the posts were authentic or manufactured but became increasingly concerned when residents of the diverse county became frightened by the racists messages published on Patel's social media.
“I will not tolerate racism, and I fight it whenever I encounter it, Meyers said in a statement release Wednesday. "That is why I requested an investigation into the racist attacks on my opponent. Once these attacks became public, I became very concerned about the fear and negative impacts they were having on our diverse community because my focus is on uniting communities, not dividing them. I was also concerned about the negative impacts the racist attacks were having on the reputation of Fort Bend County, as I am always focused on ensuring Fort Bend is safe, family-friendly, and business-friendly. I was stunned when investigators with the District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers concluded that Taral Patel was personally responsible for fabricating these racist statements and directing them at himself and the community.”
Online impersonation is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 for each charge.
Patel is scheduled to be arraigned on September 29, 2024 at 1pm in the 434th District Court, 1422 Eugene Heimann Circle, Richmond, TX.
The owner of Covering Katy News is also employed by the Precinct 3 Commissioner's Office.
See several of the racist posts that Patel is accused of sending
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Antonio Scalywag Facebook Post
Taral Patel's arrest warrant referenced this facebook post by Antonio Scalywag who is Investigators say is actually Taral Patel.
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One of the racist posts Patel is accused of creating and sending to himself.
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One of the racist posts Patel is accused of creating and sending to himself.
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Two posts that investigators say were phony and created by Patel and sent to himself.
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One of the racist posts Patel is accused of creating and sending to himself.
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Racist posts Patel is accused of creating and sending to himself.
Fort Bend County Jail
The jail booking photo of Taral Patel, Democratic Candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner.