KP George, the first Indian American to be elected a judge in Fort Bend County, Texas, in 2018, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of money laundering, according to county jail records and the district attorney’s office. Money laundering is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
George, a Democrat first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, said in a statement posted to Facebook that he is innocent and framed the indictment as politically motivated. “I have full faith in the judicial system and will vigorously defend my innocence,”
The county judge, already facing legal troubles, said he had loaned personal money to his campaign and later repaid it, according to Houston Public Media “(T)here is nothing illegal about loaning personal funds to my own campaign and later repaying that loan,” he said. “This is a standard and lawful practice.”
READ: Dover man charged with threatening to kill Vivek Ramaswamy (December 12, 2023)
He also accused the district attorney’s office of “weaponizing” the government against him. “Allegations and accusations are being made without full context or disclosure of the facts—deliberately manipulating the narrative to tarnish my reputation and character,” he said.
George was indicted in September on a misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity. He’s accused of working with former staffer Taral Patel to create fake racist attacks against his own campaign on social media.
But prosecutors say the money laundering charge is unrelated to George’s prior indictment.
“The District Attorney’s Office has continuously stated that the investigation was ongoing, and that investigation has now led to two 3rd-degree felony indictments for Money Laundering, which were made public today,” the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“These charges are unrelated to the pending misdemeanor and are assigned to the 458th District Court. Our office remains committed to the integrity our public deserves, and the ethics to which all prosecutors are sworn to. And our investigation remains ongoing.”
READ: Indian American indicted in cryptocurrency money laundering scheme (March 11, 2022)
George is accused of laundering equal to or more than $30,000 but less than $150,000. According to court records, the money laundering charges are connected to alleged wire fraud and tampering with a campaign finance report.
George’s arrest last year stemmed from his 2022 re-election campaign. During that time, the county judge shared screenshots of racist comments he received on social media. But prosecutors said at least some of the comments were posted by Patel under fake accounts and that George was aware of his staffer’s actions.
Patel ran for Fort Bend Precinct 3 County Commissioner in 2024. He’s accused of taking a similar strategy, allegedly sharing a collage of xenophobic comments against his campaign.
Investigators say several of those comments were also posted by fake accounts and that Patel impersonated several real people, including a judge.
In November, several months after his arrest, Patel lost to Republican incumbent Andy Meyers. Patel is currently facing nine criminal charges. In December, prosecutors confirmed they were investigating a contract between the county judge and Patel.
George was booked into the county jail around 3:30 p.m. Friday and was being held on a bail amount of $20,000.
On Thursday, George’s office announced that his State of the County address, scheduled for May 8, had been postponed until further notice.
The news has sent shockwaves through Fort Bend County, one of Texas’s fastest-growing and most demographically diverse regions.
Political analyst Elena Martinez of the University of Houston noted that “an indictment like this, especially involving alleged financial misconduct, can severely erode public trust even before a trial.” She added that the case is likely to draw attention beyond the county line due to Fort Bend’s rising national profile.
Born in a tiny village in Pathanamthitta in India’s Kerala state, George moved to the United States in 1993 to work for a financial company. He became the country executive in January 2019, after ousting the Republican incumbent the previous November. He is the first Asian American county judge in Texas’ history.