FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — The Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 commissioner is under investigation for a fourth impersonation charge.
Texas Rangers first arrested 30-year-old Taral Patel on June 12 for online impersonation and a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity.
Since then, search warrants revealed links to other fake identities, including one that impersonated a real district judge and, in the latest, another that used a Pennsylvania realtor’s photo.
According to court records, Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, the incumbent, first requested in October 2023 that the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office launch an investigation regarding the source behind several racist social media posts directed at Patel, his opponent.
Patel, who once served as chief of staff for Fort Bend County Judge K.P. George, is accused of creating fake Facebook accounts using other people’s photos. The accounts had posts that were too offensive to show on television, which Patel turned into a collage and sent out in a press release, allegedly to gain support.
ORIGINAL STORY: Fort Bend County candidate charged for allegedly faking racist social media attacks against himself
District attorney’s office investigators linked one of those accounts under the fake name of “Antonio Scalywag” back to Patel after issuing a subpoena to Facebook and Google. The account used a photo of a Needville man’s family and had terrible things to say about Patel.
According to search warrants, Patel also impersonated a Fort Bend County employee and created a fake Facebook account that interacted with “Antonio Scalywag” under the real name of District Court Judge Surendran Pattel. In the newest search warrant, investigators linked Patel to the email address “thedangerousdog@gmail.com,” which was used to open a Facebook account under the name “Jane Donnie” with a Pennsylvania realtor’s photo on its profile. The realtor, who investigators questioned, confirmed to ABC13 on Tuesday that the account is not his.
Patel’s attorney, Frank Yeverino, did not respond to a request for comment. Patel has never addressed the allegations and, despite calls for him to drop out, remains in the race for Fort Bend County Precinct 3.
The district attorney’s office has said the investigation is ongoing.
For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.