John Anthony Castro, a Republican candidate for president, has been arrested on tax fraud charges after his aggressive campaign to prevent former President Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot in 2024. Last year, Castro asked the Supreme Court to disqualify Trump based on the 14th Amendment, but the court declined to hear the case. Undeterred, Castro filed numerous challenges in states across the country, arguing that Trump is ineligible under the constitutional provision that bars those who have “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.
However, his suits have been dismissed in Florida, New Hampshire, and Nevada, while others remain pending in court. Castro’s arrest on Tuesday stems from his involvement in an online tax business, where he allegedly filed false tax documents between 2018 and 2020, resulting in 33 counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns. Prosecutors have detailed how Castro used his business to defraud the government in court documents.
“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.”
Castro was apprehended by an undercover law enforcement officer who was assuming the role of a customer, as stated by the prosecutors.
“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.
Castro purportedly asserted that he had made $30,000 worth of deceitful deductions in order to obtain a larger refund.
In his remarks to The Hill, Castro asserted that he is being singled out due to his endeavors to eliminate Trump from the ballot. He firmly stated that there is undoubtedly a political agenda behind the charges against him.
Furthermore, Castro contended that he had already repaid approximately $700,000 to settle the issue with the IRS.
“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.”