Beaumont city treasurer charged with perjury, identity theft, and forgery

BEAUMONT, Calif. (KESQ) - The elected City Treasurer of Beaumont has been charged with multiple offenses following a public corruption investigation, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday.

Anup Giresh “AJ” Patel, 39, was charged with providing false  information on Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) return forms regarding a motel he operated in the city, and subsequently stealing another individual’s identity to communicate with the city and make false claims regarding the TOT he owed, resulting in six felony counts:

• Count 1: Penal Code section 118(a), Perjury, on or about April 5, 2021
• Count 2: Penal Code section 118(a), Perjury, on or about August 19, 2022
• Count 3: Penal Code section 118(a), Perjury, on or about March 13, 2024
• Count 4: Penal Code section 530.5(a), Identity Theft, on or about May 6, 2025, through May 30, 2025
• Count 5: Penal Code section 470(d), Forgery, on or about May 6, 2025
• Count 6: Penal Code section 529(a)(3), False Personation, on or about May 30, 2025

According to the DA's office, an investigation by its Public Integrity Unit revealed that Patel submitted multiple Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) return forms to the City of Beaumont, signed under penalty of perjury, that stated he received $0 in gross rent for occupancy of rooms from April 2020 through December 2023 in a motel he operated in the City.

In January 2025, the city initiated an audit on all motels/hotels from January 2021 through  December 2023. The audit showed Mr. Patel’s motel collected $1,667,300.68 in gross rent from January 2021 through December 2023. Mr. Patel, as owner of the motel, owed the city $166,730.07 in TOT plus additional penalties for the timeframe. 

Additionally, Patel stole another individual’s identity and used it to create a fraudulent lease agreement and communicate with the city of Beaumont regarding the Transient Occupancy Tax owed to the city. 

If convicted on all counts, Patel faces a maximum of six years, four months in state prison.

Patel posted bail in the amount of $30,000 and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment 
hearing on October 26, 2026. 

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Natasha Sorace of the District Attorney’s Public Integrity Unit.