A Texan activist, who fervently campaigned to block former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot, now finds himself in legal trouble. John Anthony Castro, a Republican presidential hopeful, previously petitioned the Supreme Court on the grounds of the 14th Amendment, seeking to disqualify Trump.
However, the court dismissed the case, prompting Castro to initiate numerous challenges across states, alleging Trump’s ineligibility due to the constitutional prohibition against those involved in insurrection.
“Castro would promise a significantly higher refund than taxpayers could receive from other preparers and on many occasions, offered to split the additional refund with taxpayers,” the court documents said.
“In order to achieve these larger refunds, Castro generated false deductions, that were not based in fact, and which were submitted without the taxpayer’s knowledge.”
Despite facing setbacks with dismissed suits in Florida, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Castro continued his crusade. Recently, he was apprehended on tax fraud charges related to his online tax business. Accusations indicate that Castro manipulated tax documents, filing 17 sets of false claims between 2018 and 2020, leading to 33 charges of aiding false tax returns.
Prosecutors revealed Castro’s alleged modus operandi, stating that he promised clients higher refunds, generating false deductions without their knowledge. The court documents detailed instances where Castro offered to split the additional refund with taxpayers, based on fraudulent deductions amounting to $30,000.
His arrest reportedly occurred after an undercover police officer, posing as a customer, exposed his deceptive practices.
“While a reputable tax preparer promised the undercover agent a $373 tax return, Castro instead claimed he could get $6,007, and offered to split the difference in extra cash,” The Hill reported.
In response to the charges, Castro contends that he is being politically targeted due to his endeavors against Trump. Despite acknowledging repayment of approximately $700,000 to resolve matters with the IRS, he maintains that the case is driven by political motives.
“I don’t care if they offered me one day probation and a slap on the wrist in exchange for a guilty plea,” he said. “This is going to trial. I am going to convince all 12 jurors that I am 100 percent innocent and that this is political retaliation.”
