Leftists claim that the United States is still a deeply racist country where minorities constantly face hate speech and threats of violence. However, this narrative is undermined by a series of allegedly racist attacks that have been revealed as staged hoaxes.
The latest instance involves a Democrat candidate in Texas, whose claims of social media harassment have been exposed as being from a fake account that he created in an effort to frame his Republican opponent.
Taral Patel, a 30-year-old Democrat candidate for Fort Bend County Precinct 3 Commissioner, has been arrested and charged with felony online impersonation and misrepresentation of identity.
Patel, who was seeking a notable political position, was ensnared by his own web of lies after thorough investigations by local authorities exposed his hoax.
The investigation revealed that Patel had created fake social media accounts to post derogatory and racist comments, falsely attributing them to supporters of his opponent. This deceitful act was aimed at discrediting his Republican rival and manipulating public opinion by portraying himself as a victim.
Watch:
NEW: Taral Patel (D), candidate for commissioner in Fort Bend County, TX and former Biden appointee was arrested and charged for faking his own racist hate mail. He allegedly created fake accounts and would leave “racist” comments on his own posts.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 17, 2024
Once again, the demand for… pic.twitter.com/oJvrGfxk0a
Patel’s deceptive tactics began in October 2022 when he allegedly used the identity of Patrick Ernst from Needville to create a Facebook page under the alias Antonio Scalywag.
The Scalywag account claimed support for Donald Trump and often posted favorable comments about prominent Republican officials, in particular his Republican opponent, Andy Meyers.
As the election season heated up, Scalywag’s posts endorsed Meyers while including derogatory and racist remarks. This created a false narrative that Meyers’ support base was primarily composed of racists.
Patrick Ernst was questioned at the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office after suspicions arose about his involvement. The investigating officer, Affiant, met with Ernst on February 2, 2024, and verified his identity through official databases and documents.
During the interview, Ernst confirmed that he was the person depicted in a photo used on the Facebook account of Antonio Scalywag. He explained that the photo, featuring him and his wife, was originally posted on his wife’s business website.
Ernst revealed that he had been alerted to the impersonation by a concerned individual named Bassam Syed. Affiant also showed Ernst Facebook posts attributed to Antonio Scalywag, which Ernst denied writing.
The District Attorney’s office worked on the case for months, issuing subpoenas to Facebook and Google. The data obtained from these subpoenas matched Patel’s address, phone number, Texas driver’s license number, bank card number, and other personal information.
Facing a potential sentence of two to 10 years in prison, Patel was arrested by the Texas Rangers during a roadside stop on Wednesday, June 12, as reported by Covering Katy.
