Trump 14th Amendment political challenger arrested on federal tax charges

A Texas man who filed more than two dozen challenges to former President Trump’s ballot eligibility was arrested Tuesday on charges alleging he filed 17 sets of false tax documents to the IRS. 

John Anthony Castro was indicted last week on 33 counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns. Prosecutors claim he ran a virtual tax preparation business that provided customers with tax returns beyond what they were actually owed, defrauding the government.

“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,” prosecutors said in court documents. “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 busted by an undercover police officer, prosecutors outlined, who posed as a customer for his tax services. 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 tax forms Castro then filed on behalf of the undercover officer contained nearly $30,000 in fraudulently claimed deductions, prosecutors said.

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Castro is also a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, a long-shot bid that has gained little attention outside his legal challenges to Trump’s ballot eligibility. Castro has filed challenges to Trump’s ballot placement in 27 states, claiming that Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots violates the 14th Amendment.

He was indicted on the same day that his ballot challenge in New Hampshire was dismissed. His attempts have also been thrown out in Florida and most recently in Nevada on Tuesday. While multiple 14th Amendment suits remain pending, none have gained significant traction.

However, other challenges to Trump’s eligibility using the same arguments have succeeded, with attempts in Colorado and Maine both taking Trump off the states’ ballots, pending action from the Supreme Court. The high court said last week that it will hear the merits of the Colorado case.

Castro told The Hill that he denies wrongdoing and believes the case is politically motivated, “no question about it.”

He said his firm settled the tax return matter with the IRS in 2021, claiming that certain clients misinterpreted tax law. Castro said his firm paid back about $700,000 in 2021 to resolve the discrepancies.

“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.”

Castro claimed the prosecution is related to his 14th Amendment challenges against Trump due to timing of the indictment. The alleged fraudulent returns were filed between 2018 and 2020. 

He also said a stipulation of his release keeping him inside the Northern District of Texas without prior permission could endanger upcoming appearances for 14th Amendment challenges in West Virginia, Kansas and Montana.

Castro is due back in court Jan. 17.