Lamar County Judge responds to fake photos/profile by online hackers

Lamar County Judge Bill Harris is speaking out after screenshots of a fake profile on Telegram, showing a photo of him in his underwear along with a “repulsive and embarrassing” bio, began circulating on social media mid-April.

“This has been the most devastating and humiliating event in my life – professionally and personally,” said Harris. “I lost a judicial appointment, dozens of people have shared it on social media, including people I have known and worked with for more than 25-years. The betrayal is almost as bad as the posting itself.” 

Telegram is a free, cloud-based messaging app popular in Europe, one that Harris used to communicate with hotels, restaurant, tour operators, etc. while traveling abroad recently.

In mid-April, Harris’ Telegram account was compromised and the hackers gained access to his phone, personal information, credit cards, travel information, digitally stored copies of his passport, drivers license, and photos.

An online search confirmed that if someone gains access to your Telegram account, they can potentially access your phone’s information and a successful hack can expose personal information, allowing the hackers access to other devices. Telegram also allows multiple sessions to the same account from different devices — the Telegram account owner might not even know their account was compromised. *    

Harris said, unbeknownst to him at the time, other fake profile accounts were created using his information and a photo of him in his underwear to document a recent weight loss journey.

“The profile was spread to my contacts and posted in at least two adult-themed chat rooms. If I was going to do this, I certainly wouldn’t include my picture, name and phone number – I did not create that profile.”

Harris later found out a acquaintance from Paris, who also had the Telegram app, had taken a screenshot of the fake profile and shared with several individuals, including employees at the Lamar County Courthouse.

“These people likewise shared the photos with others, including those opposed to my recent appointment by the Governor to serve as the next judge of the 62nd District Court, whom made sure that our State Senator and the Governor received a copy of the fake profile.” 

Still in Europe during this time, Harris said he received a call from a trusted friend on Apr. 22, 2025, informing him that screenshot was being circulated and by whom.

“I was devastated, humiliated, embarrassed, shocked – you can imagine,” said Harris. “When I found the fake profile on Telegram, I was repulsed and angered. I spent hours researching and trying to figure out what to do and determined the best course of action was to delete every social media account I had, change all passwords on bank accounts, etc. and, fortunately, that seems to have stopped the hackers using and spreading my personal financial information. However, it was too late to undo the damage that this photo/profile had done.”  

The same day, Harris said he received a call from the Governor’ office regarding the fake profile and he agreed to end his vacation a week early to meet with the in Austin.

“I was told the Governor was withdrawing his support for my nomination and that I could investigate the matter myself and resubmit an application and they would consider it. However, I could read the ‘political tea leaves’ so elected to withdraw my application.” 

Despite the damage already being done, Harris has reported the matter to the appropriate state agencies and spoken with law-enforcement and a cyber-security specialist.

However, since the events took place overseas and Telegram’s refusal to assist, Harris said there is likely nothing that can be done.

The Telegram app is primarily based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and its Russian-born founder and chief executive, Pavel Durov, is currently under investigation for criminal activity on the messaging app. 

Harris sent multiple requests for information regarding the hack with no response. According to its online policy, Telegram will only respond to legal requests for investigations involving criminal activities that violate their terms of service. 

With the screenshot of the fake profile still circulating on social media, the response has been mixed with some defending Harris, while others have continued to escalate the malicious smear campaign.

“I have served as the County Court at Law Judge since 2011 and I understand there are individuals who want me to lose my current job and I understand their anger and frustration. I know there are people that I have known and worked with for more than 25-years who are continuing to share the screenshot with great joy and satisfaction. I am greatly hurt that those individuals would take such delight and facilitate a situation that could have happened to anyone.” 

He continued, “It’s infuriating that I have no control over what is happening. The betrayal of someone who I thought was a friend, who took the screenshot of what was clearly a fake profile and share it, has damaged my career, reputation, and family. I will have a difficult time ever trusting people again.”

*Source: kaspersky.com, Google – AI Search, gwi.com