John Anthony Castro, a Texas man known for his legal efforts to challenge former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for the 2024 presidential ballot, has been arrested on charges related to filing false tax documents.
Castro, who filed challenges in 27 states against Trump’s ballot placement, was indicted last week on 33 counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns.
Castro operated a virtual tax preparation business that deceitfully inflated tax refunds for clients, The Hill reported.
Castro was the proprietor of Castro & Company LLC, a digital tax preparation firm with establishments in Orlando, Mansfield, and Washington, D.C., per WFAA.
According to court documents, Castro promised significantly higher refunds than other tax preparers and often proposed to split the extra refund with taxpayers. To achieve these larger refunds, he reportedly created false deductions and submitted them without the taxpayers’ knowledge.
Evidence of Castro’s fraudulent activities surfaced when an undercover officer in 2018, who had previously been quoted a $373 refund by a reputable tax preparer, was promised a $6,007 refund by Castro. The tax forms filed by Castro contained nearly $30,000 in fraudulently claimed deductions.
Outside his tax business, Castro, a GOP presidential candidate himself albeit a long-shot. He was born on the U.S. military base in Landstuhl, Germany and lives in Texas.
According to Ballotpedia, he earned a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law, and an LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center. Castro’s career experience includes working as an attorney and entrepreneur.
According to the New York Times, Castro has never been licensed to practice law in any state.
John Anthony Castro hates Trump supporters. He hates Trump and his supporters with a red-hot passion.
He has been persistent in challenging Trump’s candidacy, citing the 14th Amendment over Trump’s alleged involvement in the January 6 Capitol riots. His legal maneuvers have seen mixed success, with challenges being dismissed in states like West Virginia and Nevada, while still pending in others. Some states, like Maine, are considering the issue.
The other states where Castro has filed these lawsuits include:
- California
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- Oregon
- Oklahoma
- Alaska
- South Carolina
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Vermon
- Virginia
However, similar challenges in Colorado and Maine have resulted in Trump being removed from those states’ ballots, decisions that are now awaiting review by the Supreme Court.
Castro has responded to the indictment by denying any wrongdoing and asserting that the case is a politically motivated attack against him. He claims that his firm had already resolved a tax dispute with the IRS in 2021 to the tune of $700,000.
“I don’t care if they offered me one day probation and a slap on the wrist in exchange for a guilty plea,” Castro told The Hill. “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.”
The controversy has put a damper on Castro’s ability to travel for upcoming court appearances related to his 14th Amendment challenges in other states, as his release conditions confine him to the Northern District of Texas unless otherwise permitted.
If convicted, Castro could face up to three years in prison for each of the 33 felony counts.
Although Castro’s presidential campaign has struggled to gain traction, raising only $678 by September, his litigation efforts against Trump have kept him in the public eye, and he is so proud of it.
“Meet the Man Challenging Trump”
100 days ago, no one knew who I was. With less than $50,000, I got worldwide media coverage, made Section 3 of the 14th Amendment mainstream, and now have name recognition in every corner of the country. That’s strategy.https://t.co/vQ7jav3gqu
— John Anthony Castro (@realJohnACastro) January 6, 2024
“Donald Trump’s Biggest Ballot Case Hasn’t Happened Yet.”
Excellent @Newsweek article explaining how my pending appeal before the 9th Circuit would guarantee Trump’s loss in the general election.
Thank you @AndrewStanton!https://t.co/j57Ldr4Sgg
— John Anthony Castro (@realJohnACastro) January 3, 2024
Full feature in the New York Times! ️
Success is not a destination; it’s a state of mind. It’s the courage to persevere despite repeated setbacks. It’s the refusal to surrender against all odds. Fortune favors the bold.
Thank you @NYTimes! https://t.co/PiGwu9Hnbv
— John Anthony Castro (@realJohnACastro) January 5, 2024
John Castro is an extreme example of a secret sleeper Republican. There are many just like him who run as Republicans and vote like Democrats. He’s just more open than others about his true feelings.
I think @ShennaBellows would be an excellent person to replace Senator Susan Collins in 2026.
Senator Shenna Bellows 2026! pic.twitter.com/SW5U5yqqxZ
— John Anthony Castro (@realJohnACastro) December 30, 2023
BREAKING: The man who has been filing lawsuits in every state to get Donald Trump removed from the 2024 election ballot has been arrested & charged with filing 17 sets of false tax documents to the IRS
In total, John Anthony Castro has been charged with 33 counts of aiding the… pic.twitter.com/b9GX6rIDPb
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 10, 2024
Read the DOJ’s press release:
A Mansfield man has been charged with 33-counts of filing fraudulent tax returns, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
John Anthony Castro, 40, was indicted on thirty-three counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false and fraudulent return. He made his initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hal R. Ray, Jr.
“Mr. Castro’s alleged crimes are stunning in their brazenness,” said U.S. Attorney Simonton. “The Department of Justice will continue to hold people accountable who steal from the federal government’s—and the American public’s—pockets.”
“This is precisely the type of conduct IRS Criminal Investigation and our law enforcement partners are committed to deterring,” said Tammy Tomlins, Special Agent in Charge of the Newark Field Office. “Today’s indictment sends a clear message, you will be held accountable, if you abuse our tax system for your personal financial gain.”
According to the indictment, Mr. Castro owned and operated Castro & Company LLC. a virtual tax preparation business with locations in Orlando, Florida, Mansfield, Texas, and Washington, D.C. Starting in 2016, Mr. Castro devised a scheme to falsely create and submit false tax returns on behalf of unsuspecting taxpayers. Taxpayers would seek out Castro’s assistance in filing personal tax returns and Mr. Castro would promise a significantly higher refund than taxpayers could receive from other prepares and on many occasions offered to split the additional refund with taxpayers. In order to achieve these larger refunds, Mr. Castro generated false deductions without the taxpayer’s knowledge.
In 2018, an undercover agent, posing as a taxpayer, contacted Castro & Company, LLC for assistance. Castro refused to meet in person unless a $5,000 retainer was paid but offered to assist the undercover agent virtually. During a recorded telephone conversation, Mr. Castro stated that he could project the amount of the tax refund the undercover agent would likely receive from another firm and then compare that figure with the refund that Mr. Castro would obtain.
According to the indictment, an employee of Mr. Castro’s interviewed the agent over the telephone regarding deductions. The employee stated that Mr. Castro would make any decisions regarding what items would be included on the tax filing. The employee did not identify any deductions that would apply to the agent and in the course of the interview, the undercover agent denied any facts that would support deductions. On March 14, 2018, Mr. Castro filed the agent’s tax return claiming $29,339 in fraudulent deductions. The IRS issued a refund of $6,007, Mr. Castro received $2,999 for his services and the agent received the remaining amount of $3,008. As Castro told the taxpayer, he would have received only a $300 deduction had he used another tax preparer.
Mr. Castro continued in a similar pattern with dozens of other taxpayers, resulting in hundreds of thousands of improperly paid claims.
An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Castro is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 99 years in federal prison – 3 years per count.
The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney P.J. Meitl is prosecuting the case.
