A former Biden administration liaison and local Democratic candidate in Texas—accused of creating a fake Facebook account to send hate mail to his own campaign and opponents—is now under investigation for allegedly impersonating a judge.
Taral Patel, who is running for Fort Bend County Commissioner, is already facing a felony charge of online impersonation for using another local man’s image for his bogus “Antonio Scalywag” profile, which he used to send himself racist comments.
Now authorities believe Patel launched a phony account for a local criminal court judge, Surendran Pattel, and could soon file more charges.
According to NBC affiliate Click2Houston, investigators searching Patel’s Google phone found a Facebook account for Pattel—but one with an email address connected to the suspect and which the judge says he never created nor authorized.
Pattel was the judge assigned to the rising political star’s pending criminal matter and told the TV outlet he recused himself from the case because of the accusations and because he knows Patel personally.
A new search warrant alleges the Scalywag and fake Pattel accounts became friends in July 2021, and Scalywag made multiple “complimentary” comments toward the judge. But in January 2022, the sham account “appeared … upset with something Antonio Scalywag had posted publicly,” the legal filing states.
Patel has not commented on the allegations.
Last September, Patel shared a thread on X with screenshots, claiming his campaign was “facing a barrage of racist attacks.” While the usernames were blocked, one noted they were supporting a Patel opponent “because he serves Jesus unlike Patel and his followers who worship Monkey and Elephant.”
According to a complaint and arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by The Daily Beast, the author of that comment was the “Scalywag” account.
“I am always open to criticism of my policy positions,” Patel wrote in his X post. “However, when my Republican opponents supporters’ decide to hurl #racist, #antiimmigrant, #Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me – that crosses a line.”
In 2021, President Biden appointed Patel to serve as a White House liaison addressing housing, urban development, and disaster recovery and resilience, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“So much love and gratitude to the Biden Harris Administration for giving this Texan the opportunity of a lifetime to serve,” Patel tweeted in June 2022.
