(ConservativeHub.com) – Long shot GOP presidential candidate John Anthony Castro, who fought to have former President Donald Trump removed from the primary ballots citing the Constitution’s insurrection clause, has been arrested on federal tax fraud charges.
On Tuesday, January 9, a day after a judge in Nevada dismissed his lawsuit aiming to block Trump from appearing on the presidential ballot, Castro was indicted on 33 counts of assisting in the filing of false and fraudulent returns. On Wednesday, Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced that the 40-year-old was facing the charges following an indictment on Jan. 3.
Prosecutors have argued that Castro has systematically prepared and submitted false tax returns on behalf of many unsuspecting taxpayers through his tax preparation business. This means that there are hundreds of thousands of improperly paid claims due to these filings.
Castro was released later on Tuesday after first making an appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Hal R. Ray, Jr.
Simonton pointed out that the crimes that Castro is accused of are “stunning in their brazenness.” She added that the Justice Department was going to continue to hold all those who attempted to steal from the federal government accountable.
In a phone interview with The New York Times, Castro alleged that he believed the indictment was politically motivated and that it was to block him from filing lawsuits that challenge Trump’s eligibility in the presidential race. He added that the Justice Department had sat on it for three years in order to see if you would no longer be a political problem before filing.
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