Fort Bend Co. Commissioner candidate arrested on felony online impersonation charges

A man running for public office in Fort Bend County has been arrested with concerning charges.

An investigation by the Texas Rangers led to the arrest of a political candidate for Precinct 3 Commissioner, 30-year-old Taral Patel. He is being charged with online impersonation, a third-degree felony, as well as a Class-A misdemeanor charge of misrepresentation of identity.

He is currently being held on a $20,000 bail for the felony charge and a $2,500 bail for the misdemeanor.

According to Patel’s campaign website, the democratic candidate has political experience at both the local and national level, even serving as a White House liaison under current U.S. President Joe Biden.

The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the arrest to KPRC 2, although they specified that they are not leading the investigation. We asked them to define “online impersonation” as it relates to this case, and we’ll provide updates when we receive further updates.

This is an active report. We’ll provide updates when we have more information.