His next court appearance is scheduled for July 22.
A local Texas political candidate has been arrested on charges of sending false racist messages to himself on social media. According to Fox NewsTaral Patel, the Democratic candidate for Fort Bend District 3 Commissioner, has been arrested by the Texas Rangers and is being charged with online impersonation and false impersonation.
Patel, a 30-year-old Indian-American, allegedly spent months posing as supporters of his rival, Republican Commissioner Andy Meyers. He sent several racist and derogatory comments to himself to appear to be a victim of racism.
In September 2023, Patel made a Facebook post claiming the comments were examples of the “deep and misguided fear” among the Republican Party. He also attached screenshots of all the racist comments to prove it.
”As your Democratic candidate for County Commissioner, I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues. However, when supporters of my Republican opponent decide to hurl racist, anti-immigrant, Hinduphobic or otherwise abhorrent insults at my family, religious community, colleagues and me – it crosses the line,” he wrote on Facebook.
“These hateful images come from a place of deep and misguided fear – incited by people like former President Donald Trump and today’s extremist Republican Party who fear that immigrants are ‘taking their jobs’ and starting to harm our communities,” he added. . .
An investigation was launched in October 2023 after his rival Andy Meyers asked authorities to investigate who was sending racist messages to Mr Patel. Last Wednesday, he was arrested by the Texas Rangers on a third-degree felony charge of online impersonation, as well as a Class A misdemeanor charge of false impersonation. He is being held on $20,000 bail for the felony charge and $2,500 for the misdemeanor.
Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Bobby Eberle said in a statement that the arrest was “deeply concerning”.
“Whether Republican or Democrat, such tactics should be unequivocally condemned by all who value integrity and accountability in politics,” Eberle said.
Notably, Patel previously served as chief of staff for Fort Bend County Judge KP George from 2018 to 2021, according to his LinkedIn. He also worked for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division in the Public Integrity Section as a deputy finance director for a governor and as a legislative staffer for the Texas House of Representatives.
This story originally appeared on Ndtv.com read the full story
