(PatriotNews.net) – Taral Patel, once appointed by Biden to the White House and now a Democratic candidate for a county commissioner seat in Texas, stands accused of making a fake social media account to post racist remarks about himself.
Patel, 30, a candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3’s county commissioner seat, was taken into custody on charges of online impersonation. The investigation began after his opponent, incumbent Andy Meyers, raised concerns.
The Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office initiated the probe in October following Patel’s lengthy Facebook post in September. In it, Patel claimed he and his family were targets of a racist smear campaign. The post included a collage of about a dozen racist messages, calling him derogatory names and attacking his Hindu faith.
Meyers grew suspicious after spotting the name “Antonio Scalywag,” remembering it as someone who had previously criticized him online. This prompted him to request an investigation into Patel’s claims.
Investigators subpoenaed Facebook and Google for account information about the user profile, leading them back to Patel. The data included his address, phone number, and bank card number.
On June 12th, Texas Rangers arrested Patel for third-degree felony online impersonation and a Class A misdemeanor charge for misrepresentation of identity. He was held for a brief amount of time in Fort Bend’s county jail before securing his release the same day, paying $20,000 for the felony charge and $2,500 for the misdemeanor. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 22.
In his September post, Patel condemned the racist messages, stating that while he was open to criticism of his policy positions, such hate crossed a line. He attributed the attacks to a deep and misguided fear among his opponent’s supporters, incited by the rhetoric of figures like Donald Trump and today’s Republican party.
Fort Bend County GOP released a statement calling the arrest very troubling. They compared Patel’s actions to those of Jussie Smollett, suggesting Patel used a fake Facebook account to send racist messages to himself and then blamed his political opponents. They emphasized the importance of integrity and accountability in politics, urging for such tactics to be condemned by all, regardless of political affiliation.
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