Fort Bend County Judge KP George '11th-hour' petition denied

FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas - A prosecutor for the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office is calling on a Texas Appeals Court to reject what he calls an "eleventh-hour" petition from Judge KP George ahead of his money laundering trial.

On Monday, it was confirmed Judge KP George's action to disqualify Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office was denied by the appellate court.

Court denies KP George's "11th-hour" petition

What they're saying:

Special Prosecutor Brian Wice gave FOX 26 this statement:

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.  The defense's nonsensical character assassination and predictable partisan bluster ends today.  The State’s duty to seek justice has been unwavering. The trial starts tomorrow.

Prosecutor: KP George files petition ahead of trial

What they're saying:

Special Prosecutor Brian Wice sent a letter to the Fourteenth Court of Appeals on behalf of the Fort Bend County DA's Office.

The letter is said to be in response to County Judge KP George filing a "Petition for Writ Mandamus" last Friday ahead of his trial starting on Tuesday. According to the Texas Grizzly Law Firm, a writ of mandamus asks a higher court, like a Texas Appeals Court, to intervene in a lower court case while it's still in progress.

Wice's letter is asking the Court of Appeals to reject the county judge's petition, claiming that it's "clearly groundless and brought solely for the purpose of delay."

"We're confident that the court of appeals will reject the defendant's eleventh-hour ploy to derail his upcoming felony money laundering trial," Wice said in a statement to FOX 26. "His latest legal filing is as unsupported as it is unsupportable and doesn't even qualify as a Hail Mary."

Legal battle before trial

The backstory:

In April 2025, County Judge KP George was arrested and charged with two counts of money laundering between $30,000-$150,000.

Punishment ranges from two to 10 years in prison, if convicted. 

Since the arrest, the case has been a legal battle regarding the involvement of District Attorney Brian Middleton. 

Previous filings from George's defense team include a motion to dismiss the case and a motion to disqualify the DA's office. 

George's team has accused Middleton and his team in the past of using apps like WhatsApp and Signal to send messages about George's case without disclosing the information to the defense team.

George has also accused Middleton of acting out of retaliation for KP George "being critical" of the DA.