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Indian-American judge faces prison for money laundering
George made history as the first person of South Asian descent elected Fort Bend County Judge in 2019.
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Anushka Pathak - Sun, 22, Mar 2026
- 05:24 EDT
- 22
KP George / Courtesy: Fort Bend County
An Indian-American county judge was found guilty by a Fort Bend County jury on two counts of third-degree felony money laundering.
The charges stem from transferring over US $46,500 from his campaign account to his personal account and using the funds for his home.
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KP George, born in Kerala, India, and a prominent Democrat who immigrated to the U.S. in 1993, now faces two to 10 years in prison. He chose to have the judge determine his sentence, with the punishment phase scheduled to begin June 16.
Following the verdict, he was taken into custody but released on a US $20,000 bond (US $10,000 per charge) and required to surrender his U.S. passport.
Prosecutors from the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office stated that George would remain in office until after sentencing, though county commissioners are set to discuss interim leadership. Texas law provides for automatic removal upon conviction, subject to potential appeal.
Assistant District Attorney Katherine Peterson told jurors it was their duty to hold officials accountable, arguing that George "kept lying" across campaign finance reports and directed the money toward personal uses like car payments and out-of-state transactions.
Defense lawyers portrayed the prosecution as an overreach, insisting George had legitimately loaned money to his campaign and repaid himself in line with Texas Ethics Commission guidelines, with no proven intent to deceive donors.
The defense further described the case as politically driven, alleging the district attorney’s office singled him out and constructed charges retroactively.
George made history as the first person of South Asian descent elected Fort Bend County Judge in 2019, followed by re-election in 2022. He previously served on the Fort Bend ISD school board.
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