KP George Found Guilty of Money Laundering

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Following a week-long trial in Richmond, Fort Bend County Judge KP George was found guilty of stealing from campaign donors to cover personal expenses and tampering with official financial documents to cover his tracks. A jury of 10 men and two women reached the verdict just before 2 p.m. Friday after deliberating for about eight hours, beginning Thursday afternoon. George was handcuffed and taken into custody with a $20,000 bond set by District Judge Maggie Jaramillo. His attorneys said they expected him to post bond and would meet with him to discuss next steps before the punishment phase begins on June 16. He can’t appeal until after he’s sentenced. George, who was convicted of taking more than $46,500 out of his campaign funds for a home down payment and other personal expenses, has asked that Jaramillo decide his punishment rather than the jury. He could get probation or up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Jaramillo, a Republican, is seeking re-election in November. George switched parties to become a Republican last year after winning two prior elections as a Democrat. He came in last in the GOP primary on March 3. Texas local government code dictates the automatic removal of a county official who is convicted of certain felonies, even if they appeal. County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson is expected to advise the commissioners court at its next meeting on March 26 about the procedure for naming an interim judge until the November election. Grady Prestage, a Democrat who is the longest-serving member of the court, has acted as judge recently when George was absent. Because there are only four commissioners, a motion that results in a tie ultimately fails, potentially making it challenging for the two Republicans and two Democrats on the court to do business. Smith-Lawson could not be reached for comment Friday. Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy is a candidate for county judge, facing Rachelle Carter in a May runoff for the Democratic nomination. McCoy said Friday that the people of Fort Bend County deserve leaders who “honor their oath, not exploit it for personal gain.” “The task ahead of us is to ensure the continuity of government and continue to do the people’s business,” McCoy said. “While we await punishment and sentencing, commissioners will meet on Thursday to determine the next steps for the leadership of our county.” Fort Bend County Judge KP George, left, enters court on Monday, March 16, with his staffer James Pressler. Credit: April Towery Wes Wittig, an assistant district attorney and spokesperson for the DA’s office, said the trial is not complete until sentencing is finished and a judgment is entered. “At that point, there will be language in the judgment ordering the removal of Mr. George from office,” Wittig said. “If they appeal that conviction, that will override the removal, and then we will ask the judge for an order of suspension pursuant to state law.” George’s attorneys, Jared Woodfill and Terry Yates, unsuccessfully attempted to have a visiting judge preside over the case and remove District Attorney Brian Middleton, a Democrat, from the prosecution team, citing a political vendetta by the DA in the highly-publicized case. Middleton’s office has maintained that there is no vendetta of any nature. “After all of the horrible accusations and the baseless lies, our job was to pursue justice and we did that,” Wittig said. “Yes, we feel vindicated. The only person who made it political was KP George.” Defense attorneys have maintained that George repaid himself for personal loans he made to his re-election campaign, a practice they say is legal and common. Woodfill said Friday afternoon he “clearly thought there was reasonable doubt” and was surprised by the verdict. “Obviously we’re disappointed,” he said. “We think, and we thought, we had a very strong case, but you know, you get 12 members of the community and anything can happen. We respect the process and now we move forward.” Woodfill added that George is a man of strong Christian faith. “When you’re being challenged, and he’s going through some challenges right now, it’s good to have that strong faith to rely upon,” he said. George is also facing a misdemeanor identity misrepresentation charge stemming from claims that he schemed with a former staffer to create fake social media accounts to win favor with voters. A trial is scheduled for May, but prosecutors hinted prior to Friday’s verdict that the lesser charges could be dropped. The post KP George Found Guilty of Money Laundering appeared first on Houston Press.

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