A Texas Democrat has finally been indicted over claims that he staged hate crime attacks against himself in order to blame them on his Republican opponent.
Taral Patel, a 30-year-old Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, was arrested back in June with felony online impersonation and misrepresentation of identity.
Two months on, the Fort Bend District Attorney has finally indicted Patel for his dastardly scheme which prosecutors said was intended to “influence the result of an election” and “injure” his Republican candidate Andy Meyers.
According to The Houston Chronicle, Patel is now facing include four felony counts of onlien impersonation and four class A misdemeanor charges.
The Gateway Pundit reported on the details of his scheme back in June:
Patel’s deceptive tactics began in October 2022 when he allegedly used the identity of a man from Needville named Patrick Ernst to create a Facebook page under the pseudonym Antonio Scalywag.
The Scalywag account claimed allegiance to Donald Trump and frequently posted positive comments about top elected Republican officials but consistently expressed dislike for one particular Republican, Andy Meyers.
As the election season intensified, Scalywag began posting support for Meyers coupled with derogatory and racist comments, creating a false impression that Meyers’ support base was primarily racist.
“I am against false gods and their worshippers (sic) winning office in a Christian nation. I am with Meyers ALL THE WAY because he serves Jesus, unlike Patel and his followers who worship Monkey and Elephant,” one Scalywag post said.
“I will not tolerate racism, and I fight it whenever I encounter it,” Meyers said in a statement.
“I was stunned when investigators with the District Attorney’s Office and the Texas Rangers concluded that Taral Patel was personally responsible for fabricating these racist statements and directing them at himself and the community,” he continued.
Despite the humiliation of his criminality being exposed, Patel has refused to drop out the race and has also declined to comment publicly on the allegations.
According to the Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office, each felony charge could result in a prison sentence ranging from two to 20 years and a fine of up to $10,000.
Patel’s arraignment is scheduled for September 23rd. It is currently unclear how he intends to plea.
