Former Biden liaison Taral Patel, 30, who was previously running for the Fort Bend County Commission Precinct 3, has been charged with fabricating racist harassment against himself.
Prosecutors now allege Patel created a fake Facebook profile for the judge assigned to his case.
Back in September, Patel claimed to be the target of a series of racist online attacks from multiple Facebook accounts, with comments laced with anti-Indian, anti-Hindu, and anti-Democratic rhetoric.
However, prosecutors believe Patel orchestrated these attacks himself.
The incumbent Commissioner, Andy Meyers, who Patel was running against, investigated the posts and discovered they were linked to a Facebook account named “Antonio Scalywag,” which also harassed Meyers online.
Law enforcement traced this account back to Patel through a subpoena.
In June, Patel was charged with online impersonation and misrepresentation of identity.
Recently, Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that Patel allegedly created another fake Facebook account, this time impersonating 240th Criminal District Court Judge Surendran Pattel, who was assigned to his case.
A search of a Google phone in Patel’s possession allegedly revealed a Facebook account under Judge Pattel’s name connected to an email address belonging to Patel.
Judge Pattel, during an interview with investigators, denied creating the Facebook account or authorizing anyone else to do so.
The photo on the fake profile matched the one on Pattel’s personal profile.
As a result of these revelations, Patel’s case has been moved to a different court, and Judge Pattel is no longer listed as the judicial officer on the case.
According to The Daily Beast, President Joe Biden appointed Patel in 2021 to serve as a White House liaison for issues including housing, urban development, and disaster recovery.
