The Riverside County District Attorney’s (DA) Office last week charged Beaumont City Treasurer Anup Giresh “AJ” Patel with six felony counts related to the motel business he operates in the city.
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Patel is accused of providing false information on Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) return forms, stealing another individual’s identity to communicate with the city and making false claims regarding the TOT he owed, according to a release from the DA’s office. Patel did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Riverside Record.
“I want our residents to know that the city remains focused on serving our community with transparency, accountability and professionalism,” Beaumont Mayor Jessica Voigt said in a statement at the September 15 council meeting. “The allegations involve Mr. Patel’s private business activities, and do not involve his role as city treasurer. The city will continue to protect the public’s interest and provide verified information when appropriate.”
The city, in a news release, said it was aware of the charges and had previously filed a civil lawsuit against Patel regarding the alleged unpaid TOT and related allegations and reported the issue to the DA for investigation.
The city said it would not comment on the merits of the charges filed by the DA, though the felony complaint includes many of the same allegations as the city’s civil lawsuit.
In that suit, the city alleged Patel originally reported there was no TOT due to the city, because the motel was not operating during the audit period of 2021, 2022 and 2023. The suit further alleged that when it became clear that the motel was in operation, Patel said his company was not responsible for the unpaid TOT, because the hotel was being operated by a third party during the audit period.
However, the suit alleged, there was never a third party and Patel had fraudulently provided documentation, including a lease agreement, to the city and impersonated one of the business owners from the third party to communicate with the city.
Last September, an attorney representing Patel and his company sent the city a letter stating that the company would be appealing the city’s determination that the company owed more than $200,000 in TOT and would be “taking on full responsibility for defending this case,” according to the city’s suit.
In response, the city asked for clarification in a November letter regarding the responsible party for the TOT during the audit period and informed the attorney that since there was no active demand to pay the alleged delinquent TOT, the request for appeal was denied.
The city, in its lawsuit, said it did not hear back from the attorney until after it had served Patel, his company and the attorney with a demand for payment the following month. In that late December letter, the attorney stated there was “no fraudulent lease,” and that Patel and his company not only held the business and TOT license, but that they also filed all the TOT returns during the audit period which showed there was no TOT owed, according to the suit.
Patel, who was elected in 2022 after running unopposed, is not seeking reelection. According to the city’s website, his term is set to expire in November.
If convicted on all counts, Patel faces a maximum of six years and four months in state prison. He posted a $30,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment hearing on October 26, according to the DA’s Office.
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