WHEELING, W.Va. — The former manager of the now-demolished Wheeling Inn has been charged with 22 counts of election law violations, accused of distributing anonymous mailers targeting four candidates in the 2024 Wheeling mayoral race.
Anand Arvind Patel, once the operator of the hotel at 949 Main Street, which Wheeling City Council declared a public nuisance in 2022, entered a not-guilty plea in court following the allegations.
Prosecutors say Patel circulated campaign materials without identifying their source, a violation of West Virginia election laws that require political communications to include disclaimers about who paid for them.
The charges stem from a series of anonymous mailers sent during the 2024 election season, which sharply criticized multiple mayoral candidates. Authorities have not disclosed the content of the mailers but confirmed they were distributed in an apparent attempt to influence the election outcome.
A River News Network investigation revealed Patel had previously filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against city officials and police. The case, Patel v. Wheeling Police Department et al., was filed on January 30, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. In it, Patel — representing himself — accuses the Wheeling Police Department, the City of Wheeling, and officers Robert Herron, Shawn Schwertfeger, Sergeant Jason Hupp, and John Wroten of violating his constitutional rights.
Patel’s legal entanglements stretch back several years. He was affiliated with the Knights Inn, formally known as the Wheeling Inn, a property owned by Nalini LLC — a company under his father Arvind Patel’s name. The hotel became a focal point of controversy after an undercover police operation, dubbed “Operation Knighthawk,” in 2022 uncovered extensive criminal activity on the premises. The sting led to 27 arrests and citations, several search warrants, and the seizure of illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. Patel was among those charged in the sweep, facing accusations of maintaining a drug premises.
Following the operation, the Wheeling City Council declared the hotel a public nuisance. In early 2023, the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau purchased the property for $1.7 million and later demolished the structure as part of a plan to revitalize the riverfront and improve views of the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge.
Patel’s court dates related to both the federal lawsuit and election law charges are pending.
