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 in order to gain voter support in their respective campaigns.
Taral Patel, 31, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of a candidate misrepresenting his or her identity, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office. He agreed to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
Patel, who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner in November of last year, also admitted to committing one of the misdemeanors with Fort Bend County Judge KP George in 2022, when he was running for reelection. Patel was George’s Chief of Staff at the time. George denies all wrongdoing.
According to charging documents, the investigation into Patel began in September 2023, when inflammatory messages containing racial slurs against him were posted on Facebook, calling for support for his GOP opponent Andy Meyers.
“Was he actually born here? One of the comments attributed to Patel read, “Probably communist.”
“I am against fake gods and their worshippers winning office in [a] Christian Nation,” a different individual said. “I am with Meyers ALL THE WAY because he serves Jesus unlike Patel…”
Patel created a collage from screengrabs of the posts and shared it on his Facebook profile. He also accused President Donald Trump, who was running for the Republican presidential nomination at the time, 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 tweeted in September 2023, along with the photo collage.
A few hours later, he shared: “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.”
After sending subpoenas to Facebook and Google, investigators from the DA’s office linked one of the accounts using the name “Antonio Scalywag”. According to an investigator with the District Attorney’s Office, the account included a profile picture of a Needville.
According to prosecutors, Patel also issued a news release that included a collage of attacks from the Scalywag account.
Patel was arrested in June 2024 for online impersonation and misrepresentation of identity. According to court documents, he was indicted in September on four felony counts of online impersonation with the intent to injure a candidate.
George, a Democrat, has also been charged in the case and accused of conspiring with Patel to influence the outcome of an election against Republican candidate Trever Nehls in his 2022 re-election bid.
In a September 2024 search warrant, authorities accused George of collaborating with Patel to post racist social media posts targeting himself in order to gain sympathy, a charge the defendant denies.
George was also charged with money laundering in a separate case last week, for an amount ranging from $30,000 to $150,000.
Patel may have to testify against his former boss, according to Charron Thompson, 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 stated that he was “deeply remorseful” and asked 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 said.
District Attorney Brian Middleton said in a statement that the community can now move on.
“Justice and accountability were achieved today when Taral Patel accepted responsibility and pled guilty to the offenses,” he told reporters.
“We believe the terms of the plea bargain are fair to both the community and the defendant.” “Now we can all move forward.”
