Fort Bend County Judge KP George is under investigation in two criminal cases, including a social media hoax and felony money laundering charges.
Once praised for his pandemic leadership and economic outreach, George now faces growing legal and political fallout.
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In this latest political move, he switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 2025 as the cases continue to unfold.
Here’s a timeline of his political journey through the years:
First Term and Pandemic Response (2019–2022)
January 1, 2019
KP George takes office as Fort Bend County Judge
George is sworn in as Fort Bend County Judge, becoming the first person of South Asian descent to hold the position. He assumes responsibility for overseeing more than 3,600 employees and managing a county budget of over $650 million.
March 2020 – 2021
COVID-19 pandemic shapes first term
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, George oversees the county’s emergency response efforts, including testing and vaccination programs.
READ MORE: Fort Bend County judge gives update on COVID-19 risk within community
June 12, 2020
Launch of $22 million small business grant program
George announces a grant initiative funded by the federal CARES Act to assist small businesses impacted by the pandemic.
READ MORE: Fort Bend County judge launches $22M grant program for small businesses
July 2020
Public response to online harassment
George issues a statement denouncing racist and anti-immigrant messages directed at him and his family on social media.
READ MORE: Fort Bend County judge denounces “racist, anti-immigrant garbage,” pushing others to do the same
September 2020
Outreach to TikTok Global
George extends an invitation to TikTok Global to consider Fort Bend County for its U.S. headquarters, citing potential job creation.
READ MORE: TikTok in Fort Bend County? Judge invites TikTok Global to open headquarters in Houston area
Re-Election and National Attention (2022–2023)
November 8, 2022
Re-elected to a second term
George wins re-election to continue serving as Fort Bend County Judge.
April 2022
Open letter to Disney
George sends an open letter inviting Disney to consider relocating to Fort Bend County, amid public tensions between the company and Florida leadership.
September 18 and 26, 2022
Text messages later cited in legal filings
Court documents from a later investigation reference messages exchanged between George and his former chief of staff, Taral Patel, during this period.
September 2023
George comments on racist messages sent to former staffer
Following reports of racist social media messages directed at Taral Patel, George issues a statement encouraging the public to denounce such language.
Legal Investigations and Indictments (2024–2025)
August 2024
Search warrants issued in fake account investigation
Fort Bend County investigators issued multiple search warrants related to allegations that Patel, a former aide to George, used fake accounts during his campaign. Some devices under investigation are reportedly tied to George.
READ MORE: 13 search warrants emerge in Taral Patel, Fort Bend County commissioner candidate, fake account case
September 26, 2024
Indictment and booking
George is indicted on a Class A misdemeanor charge of misrepresenting the identity of a candidate. He is booked into jail and released.
October 3, 2024
Motion to dismiss filed
George’s legal team files a motion to dismiss the indictment, citing procedural issues.
READ MORE: Attorney for Fort Bend County Judge KP George files motion to throw out indictment
October 8, 2024
Public protest at courthouse
Members of the Fort Bend County Republican Party protest outside the courthouse, referencing the indictment and calling for accountability.
October 21, 2024
Judge declines to dismiss indictment
A judge denies the motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed.
READ MORE: Judge declines to dismiss indictment against Fort Bend County Judge KP George
New Charges and Party Affiliation Shift (2025)
April 4, 2025
Charged with two counts of money laundering
George is charged with laundering between $30,000 and $150,000, and with tampering with a government record related to campaign finance.
April 22, 2025
Court hearing reset in social media hoax case
George appears in court. Prosecutors request more time to analyze electronic evidence.
READ MORE: Court resets hearing for Fort Bend Judge KP George in social media hoax case
May 20, 2025
Motion to recuse judge filed
George’s attorneys request that the judge in the money laundering case recuse themselves.
READ MORE: Fort Bend Co. Judge KP George files motion to recuse judge in felony money laundering case
June 13, 2025
Status update on criminal cases
George appears in court for a check-in hearing. Legal teams report ongoing review of case materials.
June 18, 2025
George announces switch to Republican Party
George publicly changes his political affiliation from Democrat to Republican at a press conference in Sugar Land.
READ MORE: Fort Bend County Judge KP George announces move to Republican Party
