A former Biden administration appointee and aspiring Texas lawmaker has been accused of creating multiple fake social media accounts to harass himself and generate sympathy.
Taral Patel, 30, was arrested in June and charged with online impersonation after allegedly staging racist attacks against his own campaign, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
Patel, who is running as a Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County commissioner, is now accused of operating four fake Facebook accounts that were used to abuse himself online.
One of the accounts allegedly impersonated a real district judge, while others used photos of actual people without their knowledge or consent.
The investigation into Patel's alleged activities began in October 2023 when current Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers requested police look into racist comments being made against Patel online. Meyers suspected one of the accounts, using the name "Antonio Scalywag," was connected to previous harassment he had experienced.
Investigators traced the Scalywag account back to Patel through subpoenas issued to Facebook and Google. They also linked him to other suspicious accounts, including one using the name and photo of District Court Judge Surendran Pattel without authorization.
Prosecutors claim Patel created additional fake profiles using photos of a Needville man's family and a Pennsylvania realtor. These accounts were allegedly used to send hateful messages to Patel's own campaign in an apparent attempt to garner public sympathy.
Since being released on bail in June, Patel has not publicly addressed the accusations against him. He remains an active candidate in the race for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 commissioner despite the ongoing legal issues.
Last September, before his arrest, Patel made a lengthy Facebook post condemning what he described as racist and anti-immigrant attacks against his campaign. He shared screenshots of abusive comments, which investigators now believe may have originated from accounts he controlled himself.
Patel wrote at the time:
I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues. However, when my Republican opponents supporters' decide to hurl #racist, #anti-immigrant, #Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me - that crosses a line. Fort Bend County's diversity has made us all stronger, and these hateful images (a small sample attached here) are from a place of deep and misguided fear - incited by people like former President Donald Trump and today's extremist Republican Party fear that immigrants are "taking their jobs" and setting out to hurt our own communities.
Prior to his run for county commissioner, Patel served as a White House liaison in 2021, working on housing, urban development, and disaster recovery issues. His arrest and the subsequent allegations have cast a shadow over his political aspirations.
Despite the serious nature of the charges against him, Patel has continued his campaign and maintained an active presence on social media. He has not directly commented on the case but has posted about unrelated topics since his arrest in June.
The accusations against Patel raise questions about the use of social media in political campaigns and the potential for abuse of these platforms. The case remains ongoing, with Patel facing charges of online impersonation, a Class A misdemeanor in Texas. The outcome of both the legal proceedings and Patel's political campaign remains to be seen as the situation continues to develop.
