PART 2: Wheeling's 'Whodunit?' What we know about Fiverr user 'anandpatel241'
As our investigation continues to uncover the source of illegal mailers attempting to influence the 2024 Wheeling municipal election, curious public reviews on Fiverr have been revealed.
Read PART 1 of this series by clicking below.
Wheeling's ‘Whodunit?’ Mudslinging mailers flood voter's mailboxes ahead of May 14 election
Wheeling, W.Va. – On May 6, 2024, residents checked their mailboxes to find political mailers—lacking financial disclosures—attacking candidates, city administration, and political organizations. Another round of undisclosed mailers hit mailboxes on May 9, and more are expected to be sent out in the coming days.
Wheeling, W.Va. – Wheeling Free Press first reported about the mudslinging mailers on May 11. In that story, we detailed the findings of our investigation to uncover who was behind a slew of undisclosed mailers and an accompanying YouTube page ‘Common Sense Wheeling’ attacking local mayoral candidates. We were not able to confirm the identity of the person, people, or organization behind the attack mailers at that time.
As this investigation continues, Wheeling Free Press has discovered more curious details we believe voters in the City of Wheeling should be made aware of.
Who is ‘anandpatel241’?
In short, we cannot say for sure. Any person can create a username with a name and string of numbers; however, ‘anandpatel241’ is tied to over one hundred publicly listed reviews on Fiverr, a platform connecting freelancers with people or businesses.
Five months ago, ‘anandpatel241’ thanked Fiverr creator Imtiazul Saikat for their work on developing a word press site. An image of the work attached to the review shows a screenshot of the firewpdchief.com homepage.
Coincidentally, firewpdchief.com has been mostly scrubbed of from the internet since the publication of the first part of ‘Wheeling’s ‘Whodunit?’’ However, thanks to a Wayback Machine archive of the site, we know that Saikat’s name is listed as the developer for that site.
On another Fiverr freelancer’s account–Ismail E–‘anandpatel241’ expresses gratitude to the account in a public review five months ago saying he Ismail E’s “go to guy for voice over!” Listed in Ismail E’s portfolio on their account is the same comment from ‘anandpatel241’ with a recorded voiceover video with details about the December 11, 2023, motion by Assistant Prosecutor Shawn Turak for gag order in State of West Virginia v. Ananand [sic] Patel.
The recording stated that Turak attempted to impose the gag order and encouraged citizens to “act” and “contact Shawn Turak” to “demand she champions transparency over tyranny.” The recording goes on to encourage listeners to visit “our website” to submit tips that may lead to the removal of Wheeling Police Department Chief Shawn Schwertfeger.
Wheeling Free Press obtained the state’s motion for a gag order–detailed in our first edition of this story–in which the Defendant, Anand Patel, was accused of orchestrating the firewpdchief.com website and associated YouTube page. Patel, in response to a request for comment for our original story, stated that he “had to admit in OPEN COURT [sic] that I [Anand Patel] was behind the site [firewpdchief.com].”
Answering a question from Wheeling Free Press about Fiverr user ‘anandpatel421’, Patel, whose name is featured in the username, said “I have already told you that in open court I had to admit that I published the firewpdchief site.”
Wheeling Free Press has documented eleven separate occasions since that voiceover thanking Ismail E for his work. These reviews began one month ago and continued until six days ago. Ismail E offers text to speech services for $5 per job.
‘anandpatel241’ thanked Fiverr user Sadaf in another public review for their work on a $45 2D animation video, and the next day YouTube page ‘Common Sense Wheeling’ posted a 2D animation video attacking JT Thomas, candidate for mayor. The now-deleted video on ‘Common Sense Wheeling’ bears great resemblance to Sadaf’s style of animation.
Two weeks ago, user ‘anandpatel241’ thanked yet another Fiverr user, Jonathan A, in a public review for his work. In that post, a caricature drawing appearing to be Thomas is shown beside the review. Upon downloading the image, the file is named “Thomas.”
Jonathan A charges $10 for caricature drawings.
In another public review on Fiverr, user ‘anandpatel241’ thanked creator Erwin As for his work on a caricature cartoon that cost the user $5. Erwin As’s portfolio details work that bears resemblance to a depiction of Councilor Jerry Sklavounakis used on a mailer attacking him.
User ‘anandpatel241’ has left public reviews on at least fifteen Fiverr freelancer accounts over the last month, including those who offer flyer designs, political caricatures, video advertisements, commercials, video editing, and AI voiceovers. Some of those freelancers also list direct mailers, print media designs, and postcards as products they offer.
Wheeling Free Press cannot positively ID Fiverr user ‘anandpatel241,’ but there is strong evidence that this account contracted freelancers on the site during the creation of firewpdchief.com website. We also know that ‘anandpatel241’ has contracted freelancers to create 2D animations, voiceovers, video editing services, and flyers.
As in our first edition of ‘Wheeling’s ‘Whodunit?, Wheeling Free Press is not accusing any person, people, or organization of perpetrating the negative mailer campaign; however, through our thorough investigation, we have found several pieces of information that warrant publication and dissemination to the people of Wheeling–who were the victims of this illegal mailer campaign.
Ultimately, it is unlikely that Wheeling Free Press will ever be able to positively identify the perpetrator short of a confession for the person, people, or organization involved. The W.Va. Secretary of State’s office and the W.Va. Ethics Commission will have greater power to resolve the mystery–that is, if these organizations take seriously the crime as alleged.
Wheeling Free Press denounces in the strongest possible terms the dissemination of nasty, dark-money-funded, illegal mailers in an attempt to influence our local elections. Campaigns should be won on merits, not money spent. Any person, people, or organization behind the mailers and ‘Common Sense Wheeling’ should be brought to justice immediately.
Several individuals helped in the making of this story, but chose to remain anonymous.
Impressed with your thoroughness and reporting. A+
I just knew they would have gone to Fiverr for the work on the mailers and videos. Great thinking, and effort pulling the threads.