Fort Bend County Judge KP George has been found guilty following a jury trial on a felony money laundering charge. His sentencing is set for June, but in the meantime, George remains in office.
Fort Bend County deputies placed George in handcuffs and escorted him out of the courtroom after the unanimous verdict. A judge set his bond at $20,000, split at $10,000 per charge, and asked George to surrender his U.S. passport.
After a closed executive session with County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson, county commissioners unanimously voted to revoke George’s authority to sign county documents, appointed Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage to preside over the commissioners court, and authorized County Auditor Robert Sturdivant to conduct an internal investigation into potential financial risks tied to George’s conviction.
Governor Greg Abbott’s office also froze 27 state grants covering cybersecurity training and emergency medical services.
The decisions effectively sideline George from core administrative functions while stopping short of formal removal, a process governed by state law and still pending.
What happened?
Court records show that on March 31, 2025, George was indicted on two felony counts of third-degree money laundering, totaling $46,500.
Wesley Wittig, Second Assistant District Attorney for Fort Bend County Justice Center, described the state’s position to the Defender as, “We proved Mr. George was guilty of 3rd-degree money laundering relating to using campaign funds for personal expenses,” including a down payment on a home.
The defense mounted a pretrial challenge, arguing that the state failed to prove criminal intent and that investigators relied on incomplete financial records.
George’s attorneys, Jared Woodfill and Terry Yates, filed motions to quash the indictments and disqualify the district attorney’s office. They argued George was repaying himself for a campaign loan, permitted under Texas Ethics Commission rules, and accused Fort Bend County District Attorney Brian Middleton of prosecutorial misconduct and pursuing a political vendetta.
Woodfill and Yates sought dismissal, arguing that the charges constituted an overreach that criminalized what amounted to campaign finance recordkeeping disputes.
George’s lawyers also sought to disqualify Middleton’s office from the prosecution entirely and filed a petition with a Texas appeals court.
The appellate court denied the petition on March 9, 2026, finding George had not demonstrated entitlement to the relief he sought. Trial proceeded shortly after.
The state brought in Special Prosecutor Brian Wice to assist in managing the pretrial litigation.
“The people of Fort Bend 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.”
– Commissioner Dexter McCoy,
who is running for County Judge
“We’re gratified but not at all surprised by how quickly the court of appeals summarily rejected this defendant’s 11th-hour ploy to avoid answering to a Fort Bend County jury,” Wice described the prosecution’s approach.
The state also responded by filing a motion accusing the defense of fabricating legal citations, identifying multiple instances where the defense attributed language to court opinions that, prosecutors argued, do not appear in those opinions.
Still in office
George will remain the county judge after posting bond, and Commissioner Grady Prestage will act as the “temporary presiding officer.” During a commissioners court meeting, Prestage said the appointment was to ensure the county government continued to function.
Under the Texas Local Government Code, a county official is removed after a felony conviction, but the removal takes effect only upon a final judgment, not a jury verdict. Therefore, George will not be removed until the case ends with a sentencing, expected on June 16.
“The law says [removal from office occurs] ‘immediately upon conviction,’ but the removal language is in the judgment, and the judgment cannot be complete until we have a punishment,” Wittig said. “The way we look at trial, we’re not done until we do punishment. He can’t even appeal his conviction until we finish punishment.”
Prosecutors indicated that if George appeals, they would seek a court order suspending him from office during that process.
Political consequences
Even before the conviction, voters had begun to move on.
George, first elected as a Democrat in 2018 and reelected in 2022, switched parties to join the Republican Party after his indictment.
In the March primary, he finished last in a five-candidate race, securing just 8.4% of the vote. Former Sugar Land City Council member Daniel Wong won the primaries with 54.1% of the vote.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales criticized the ongoing situation in a public statement.
“The primary voters of Fort Bend County have spoken at the ballot box,” Morales said. “Yet KP George continues to draw a taxpayer-funded salary while navigating delays and potential appeals. An honorable judge would have stepped aside already. I truly do hope that ours will find the dignity to do so soon.”
Morales added that if George remains in office through the end of this calendar year, it would be for “selfish” reasons of collecting a taxpayer-funded salary.
“If there are gaps in policy, or opportunities to strengthen them, we will identify and fix them,” he said.
Campaign finance
The case has reignited debate about campaign finance oversight in Texas.
Antony Gutierrez of Common Cause Texas called the conviction both a sign of accountability and a symptom of systemic weakness.
“KP George clearly broke the law and thankfully it appears the system is working and he will likely be removed from office and possibly face charges,” he told the Defender. “These incredibly corrupt actions by George do speak to a much larger problem though – our campaign finance laws in Texas are so woefully inadequate that office holders like KP George think they can get away with anything.”
Gutierrez pointed specifically to the alleged use of campaign funds for personal expenses as evidence of gaps in enforcement.
“If we had stronger laws paired with better monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, blatant corruption like this would likely get caught and stopped far sooner,” he added.
What comes next?
George’s sentencing in June will mark the next step in the case.
If the court imposes a sentence that triggers removal proceedings and if no appeal delays the process, Fort Bend County could see a formal transition in leadership.
Meanwhile, commissioners have taken steps to strip George of key powers and launched an internal review.
Commissioner Dexter McCoy issued a statement following the verdict, acknowledging the verdict and signaling the county’s intent to maintain stability.
“The people of Fort Bend deserve leaders who honor their oath, not exploit it for personal gain,” McCoy said in a statement. “The task ahead of us is to ensure the continuity of government and continue to do the people’s business.”
