Aspiring Dem lawmaker who claimed he was victim of hate speech is ‘revealed to be four accounts that were trolling him’
A former Biden administration appointee and aspiring Texas lawmaker is accused of running four fake social media accounts that harassed him and his campaign.
Taral Patel, 30, was arrested in June and charged with online impersonation and a class A misdemeanor for allegedly staging racist attacks on himself in an attempt to garner sympathy.
The Democratic candidate for Fort Bend County commissioner is now accused of operating several fake accounts, including one where he posed as a real county judge, according to reports ABC13.
Patel allegedly used images of real people to create fake Facebook accounts, using them to misuse himself online, possibly to gain public sympathy.
Court records show that current Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers asked police to investigate the racist comments made against Patel last October.
Taral Patel, 30, was arrested in June and charged with online impersonation and a class A misdemeanor after allegedly staging racist attacks on himself
Meyers suspected that one of the names belonged to an account called “Antonio Scalywag,” who he said had previously harassed him online.
A subpoena served on Facebook and Google traced Scalywag to Patel, who was subsequently arrested.
Prosecutors say Patel used a photo of a Needville man’s family on the account, allegedly sending hate to himself.
Patel is also accused of posing as a Fort Bend County employee and creating a fake Facebook account under the name of real District Judge Surendran Pattel.
Detectives said they also linked Patel to the email address “theonlydangerdog@gmail.com,” which he used to open a Facebook account with the name “Jane Donnie” and a photo of a real-life Pennsylvania real estate agent.
Patel has not responded to the allegations since he was released from jail on bail in June and remains a candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3.
Last September, he wrote a lengthy Facebook post, combining it with a collage of nearly a dozen derogatory messages attacking his race, ethnicity, religion and political leanings.
Patel has not addressed the allegations since he was released from jail on bail in June, and remains a candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3
However, after his arrest, he posted several tweets, including: “Good morning everyone except mosquitoes the size of Texas.”
Last September, he wrote a lengthy Facebook post, combining it with a collage of nearly a dozen derogatory messages attacking his race, ethnicity, religion and political leanings.
The collage contained comments that appeared to be from accounts praising conservative Christian virtues and speaking out against immigrants. The names associated with most of the comments have been blurred or otherwise obscured in the image.
Patel is also accused of posing as a Fort Bend County employee and creating a fake Facebook account under the name of real District Judge Surendran Pattel (pictured)
Patel, a rising Democrat, is seen with Barack Obama
Patel’s lengthy statement on the comments reads in part: “I am always open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues. But when my Republican opponents and supporters decide to hurl #racist, #anti-immigrant, #Hinduphobic or otherwise vile insults at my family, faith community, colleagues and me, that crosses a line.
“The diversity of Fort Bend County has made us all stronger, and these images of hate (here is just a small sample) come from a deep and misplaced fear — stoked by people like former President Donald Trump and the current extremist fears of the Republican Party that immigrants are ‘taking their jobs’ and harming our own communities.”
In 2021, Patel was named White House liaison for housing, urban development, disaster recovery and resilience.