In a surprising turn of events, the relatively unknown Republican presidential candidate and attorney from Texas, John Anthony Castro, who has been actively pursuing legal action against former President Donald Trump under the 14th Amendment’s insurrection clause, finds himself in legal trouble. Recently, Castro was arrested on federal charges related to alleged involvement in aiding the preparation of false tax returns.
Last week, The Hill reported that Castro was indicted on 33 counts for his role in running a virtual tax preparation business accused of defrauding the government. Prosecutors claim that he misled customers by promising significantly higher tax refunds than they were entitled to, often offering to share the additional refund with them. The charges suggest that Castro achieved these inflated refunds by generating false deductions without the taxpayers’ knowledge.
The Hill further highlighted that Castro’s arrest occurred after an undercover police officer, posing as a customer, exposed his alleged fraudulent tax services. While a legitimate tax preparer offered the undercover agent a $373 tax return, Castro purportedly claimed he could secure $6,007, proposing to split the difference in extra cash. The tax forms filed by Castro for the undercover officer reportedly contained nearly $30,000 in fraudulently claimed deductions.
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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/mQWi4MI2ii
— Antonio Sabato Jr (@AntonioSabatoJr) January 10, 2024
Interestingly, the indictment coincided with the dismissal of Castro’s ballot challenge in New Hampshire, and similar cases in Florida, Michigan, and Nevada have also faced rejection. Despite multiple 14th Amendment lawsuits still pending resolution, none have made substantial progress.
However, it’s worth noting that Colorado and Maine have taken steps to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the Colorado decision, while the Maine Supreme Court awaits a ruling from the nation’s highest court before deciding on Trump’s eligibility for the state’s ballot.
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A state superior court judge halted Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ declaration that Trump was ineligible to appear on Maine’s ballot, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear Trump’s appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision on February 8. All briefs in the case are due by January 31, with oral arguments scheduled for a week later, as reported by Fox News.
In response to Bellows’ appeal, the Maine Supreme Court cited the interlocutory nature of the case and dismissed the appeal, emphasizing the need for a final judgment on appeal.