FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas – Fort Bend County Judge KP George has been charged with two counts of money laundering, a third-degree felony, KPRC 2 Investigates learned Friday afternoon.
Investigates reporter Mario Diaz confirmed with law enforcement sources that George turned himself into authorities on Friday. He was processed and immediately posted his $10,000 bail and was released.
George is accused of laundering $30,000 to $150,000. Full details have not yet been released, but court records indicate George allegedly knowingly maintained an interest in, concealed, possessed, or transferred the proceeds of criminal activity, namely wire fraud, between $30,000 and $150,000.
Court records also allege George tampered with a government record, namely a campaign finance report, with the intent to defraud or harm.
George was elected twice by voters to sit in the County Judge’s seat.
He first began to see trouble last September when he was indicted on a Class A misdemeanor connected to misrepresenting the identity of a candidate.
The charge came after his former Chief of Staff Taral Patel was charged with making fake online accounts, impersonating officials, and posting racist comments against himself to gain voter sympathy.
Four months later in February, George made claims of being inappropriately treated during his booking process at the Fort Bend County Jail.
He claimed it lasted for three hours, and he was subject to “an unnecessary hold by Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE despite his long-standing U.S. citizenship and elected position.”
While being processed, Fort Bend County Sheriff Eric Fagan said an ICE check is routine to verify a person’s immigration status if they are not a naturally born U.S. citizen.
He refuted George’s claims adding, “He was here for an hour and 13 minutes.”
Now, George will have to go through the process again facing the new charges.
A felony conviction forces any public official out of office in the State of Texas.
Fort Bend County Democrats React
Fred Taylor, Chair of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party, also released a statement expressing his disappointment in the judge.
“I am very disappointed in Judge George and his actions have disappointed us and showed that he has not used good judgmentAttorney’s in the office that he holds.”
Taylor also told KPRC 2’s Corley Peel he and the Fort Bend County Democratic Party are calling for KP George to step down.
Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Reaction
The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office filed a misdemeanor charge of Misrepresentation of Identity/Candidate against KP George last year, which is pending in County Court at Law No. 5. This came after an investigation into an associate of Mr. George was expanded to implicate George himself.
The District Attorney’s Office has continuously stated that the investigation was ongoing, and that investigation has now led to two 3rd-degree felony indictments for Money Laundering, which were made public today. These charges are unrelated to the pending misdemeanor and are assigned to the 458th District Court.
Our office remains committed to the integrity our public deserves, and the ethics to which all prosecutors are sworn to. And our investigation remains ongoing.
KP George releases statement
Just a couple hours after turning himself in, Fort Bend County Judge KP George released the following statement:
“As an elected official, I have always operated with integrity and transparency. Let me be absolutely clear—there is nothing illegal about loaning personal funds to my own campaign and later repaying that loan. This is a standard and lawful practice.
Unfortunately, this is a continued example of Fort Bend County District Attorney’s office weaponizing the government with an obvious political witch hunt period. Allegations and accusations are being made without full context or disclosure of the facts—deliberately manipulating the narrative to tarnish my reputation and character.
I have full confidence that the truth will prevail, in the meantime, I remain committed to serving and fighting for the people of Fort Bend County with the same passion and dedication as always."
This is a developing story and KPRC 2 Investigates will update with new developments. that