Charlotte County Couple Arrested on Four Felony Counts of Operating an Unlicensed Check Cashing Business

Kinjal Patel and her husband Kaushal Kumar Patel were arrested on four felony counts of operating a check cashing business without a license.

In 2021, R&D Stores of Florida LLC, surrendered its check cashing license following an OFR examination. However, the Patels allegedly continued to deposit third-party checks, with aggregate values of $2,000 or more, using another business entity named Kinjal, Inc. Kinjal Patel applied for licensure as a money services business on behalf of Kinjal, Inc., however the application was denied due to lack of response from the applicant. Kaushal Patel also applied for a license on behalf of Lakshminarayad, Inc., but was also denied due to lack of response from the applicant.

The OFR’s investigation identified multiple individuals who alleged that they had cashed these third-party checks in amounts exceeding $2,000. Court records indicate that Kinjal, Inc. filed small complaints while acting as an unlicensed entity, pursuing payments from individuals for dishonored checks and associated fees. The Patels and Kinjal, Inc. were served with business records subpoenas and were also notified of the investigation and allegations against them, yet they provided no response as of the date of the arrest.

The OFR was the sole investigative agency in this criminal enforcement action with the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office executing the arrest warrants. The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney in Charlotte County, 20th Judicial Court.