Fred Anthony Burton, the mayor of Arcola, Texas, has been arrested and charged with five felonies, according to information released by officials. Records from the Fort Bend County Jail say that Burton, who claims to be “nonpartisan,” is now facing two counts of illegal voting, one count of misuse of official information, one count of fraudulently securing the execution of a document, and one count of tampering with government record defraud/harm.
Reports have revealed that the illegal voting charges against Burton originate from two different elections. The first is the Arcola Municipal Runoff Election that was held on June 7, 2025. The other is the City of Arcola General, Joint, and Special Election held on April 23, 2026. Grand jury indictments accuse Burton of “helping, encouraging, or failing to prevent” three individuals from casting ballots, despite possessing full knowledge that they were ineligible to do so.
The three other charges the disgraced mayor is facing come from 2023, during his previous term as the city’s mayor. An indictment also accused Burton of utilizing information not previously made known to the public, which he used his mayoral power and influence to gain access to. The indictment said that he also disclosed information concerning a competitive bid for a city contract to another person for a non-governmental purpose.
According to a report from Fox 26, the mayor is also being accused of knowingly presenting or using an allegedly false estimate connected to the Arcola Food Court Project. Another indictment claims that Burton caused members of the Arcola City Council to sign or execute official documents that impacted the financial interests of the city without their consent.
Court records say that the financial interest mentioned above was valued at over $30,000, but less than $100,000. Following his arrest, Burton appeared before a Fort Bend County magistrate judge. His case will move through the Fort Bend County court system. Burton has been involved in a series of confrontations during his time serving in city government.
According to Houston Public Media, he was most notably locked in a legal battle with Councilwoman Ebony Sanco in 2024. Burton hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on Sanco’s residency, paying for the services with $8,000 worth of public funds. One X user commented on the story that the city of Arcola is riddled with corruption.
“Arcola is riddled with corruption. Their makeshift office says it all,” the person said. “Someone filed complaints that were supported by credible evidence, and we investigated those complaints with the assistance of the Texas Rangers,” Charann Thompson, chief of the Public Integrity Division with the Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office, went on to say.
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“It is the very beginning stage,” Thompson explained. “A conviction only happens once the case is resolved, whether that’s by a trial or whether that is by an agreement.” Many of the residents in Arcola were stunned to hear the news of Burton’s arrest. According to Click 2 Houston, Sherian Scott was dropping off her granddaughter for summer camp when she heard about the arrest. “I want honesty. I want everything to be confirmed. I want investigations for my grandkids who come over here,” Scott said about the arrest.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video