A former Democratic political candidate from Texas has pleaded guilty after being accused of using fake social media accounts to hurl racist abuse at himself and his boss to gain voter sympathy in their respective races.
Taral Patel, 31, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of misrepresentation of identity by a candidate, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. He agreed to a two-year probation and to complete 200 community service hours.
Patel, who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner in November last year, also admitted to committing one of the misdemeanors along with Fort Bend County Judge KP George in 2022 when he was vying for re-election. Patel was George’s chief of staff at the time. George denies any wrongdoing.
The investigation into Patel began in September 2023 when inflammatory messages began surfacing on Facebook, using racial slurs against him and, in turn, calling for support of his GOP opponent Andy Meyers, according to charging documents.
“Was he even born here? Probably communist,” one of the comments believed to be written by Patel read.
“I am against fake gods and their worshippers winning office in [a] Christian Nation,” another added. “I am with Meyers ALL THE WAY because he serves Jesus unlike Patel…”
Patel turned screengrabs of the posts into a collage and uploaded them to his Facebook profile. He also accused President Donald Trump, who at the time was vying to be at the top of the GOP ticket, and “today’s extremist Republican party” of inciting such rhetoric.
“When my Republican opponent's supporters decide to hurl #racist, #anti-immigrant, #Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me - that crosses a line,” he said in September 2023, sharing the collage.
A day later, he posted: “My family and I are overwhelmed from the outpouring of love and kindness from community members spanning every political and demographic divide as we collectively work together to overcome the challenges ahead.”
Investigators with the DA’s office connected one of the accounts using the name “Antonio Scalywag” after they sent subpoenas to Facebook and Google. The account included a profile picture of a Needville, an investigator with the DA's office said.
Patel also issued a news release containing a collage of attacks made from the Scalywag account, prosecutors said.
Patel was initially detained in June 2024 for online impersonation and misrepresentation of identity. He was indicted in September on four felony counts of online impersonation with intent to injure a candidate, per court filings.
George, a Democrat, has also been charged in the case and accused of working alongside Patel to sway the outcome of an election against Republican candidate Trever Nehls in his 2022 re-election race.
In a search warrant from September 2024, authorities accused George of working with Patel using the Scalywag alias to post racist social media posts targeting himself to garner sympathy, which the defendant denies.
George was also charged last week with money laundering in a separate case, involving an amount between $30,000 and $150,000.
Patel could have to testify against his former boss, according to Charron Thompson, the chief prosecutor for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office Public Integrity Unit.
In his required apology letter to the Fort Bend County community written on Tuesday, Patel said he was “deeply remorseful” and asked the public for “grace and kindness.”
“I recognize that seeking redemption is the work of a lifetime ahead, and I will treat this second chance for what it is: the opportunity to take responsibility and shape my life around service,” he wrote.
District Attorney Brian Middleton said in a statement that the community can now move forward.
“Justice and accountability were achieved today when Taral Patel accepted responsibility and pled guilty to the offenses,” he said.
“We believe the terms of the plea bargain are fair for the community and for the defendant. Now we can all move forward.”
The Independent has reached out to George’s lawyer for more information.
