Mayor John Whitmire withdraws support for Taral Patel after social media hoax

Houston Mayor John Whitmire has withdrawn his support for Taral Patel, a candidate for Fort Bend County Pct. 3 commissioner.

Mayor Whitmire announced the withdrawal Tuesday on Facebook.

Back in June, Patel was arrested and charged with a felony count of online impersonation and a misdemeanor count of misrepresentation of identity.

The charges stemmed from an investigation that found evidence that Patel created fake social media accounts pretending to be supporters of his political opponents. He used these accounts to send attacks at himself and others—some of which included racist and bigoted rhetoric—in an attempt to garner sympathy and political support.

• Investigators: Candidate for Fort Bend Co. Commissioner created online persona, racially attacked opponents and himself

The initial arrest came just weeks after Patel had secured the Democratic nomination in the Pct. 3 commissioner race.

In the months since, more felony charges have been filed against Patel as more evidence has emerged in the hoax.

Fort Bend County Judge KP George was also indicted in connection to the hoax, which investigators believe he participated in with Patel.

• Petition filed shows more people may be involved in Fort Bend County social media hoax