A Fort Bend politician, accused of creating fake Facebook accounts to attack his opponents, is now facing new allegations.
A search warrant reveals that prosecutors suspect Taral Patel may have also impersonated a judge on social media. Patel is the Democratic nominee for Fort Bend County Commissioner Precinct 3.
Last month, Patel was arrested for allegedly using a fake Facebook account to attack opponents and post racist comments on his campaign page.
Following the arrest, investigators secured a search warrant for Patel’s phone. They discovered a Facebook account under the name Surendran Pattel, the 240th District Court Judge for Fort Bend County, linked to the email address Taral@movetexas.org.
Investigators interviewed the judge, who confirmed he did not create the account.
Court records indicate that Patel’s criminal case, initially assigned to Judge Pattel’s court, was transferred to another court earlier this week.
The judge informed KPRC, the outlet that first reported these new allegations, that he was recusing himself due to the investigators’ recent findings and his acquaintance with Patel.
So far, court records show that Patel has not been charged with impersonating the judge.
Prosecutors have requested information from Facebook regarding the fake account.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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