The ‘McDonald’s of Yoga’ Owners Facing Prison Time For Tax Evasion

(Getyy Images)

The owners of Yoga to the People may have done more than stretched their bodies. They may have stretched the truth about their willingness to do their taxes.

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Gregory Gumucio, Michael Anderson and Haven Soliman own the popular national Yoga chain and were arrested by the FBI on tax evasion charges, TMZ reported. All three face 30 years in federal prison if convicted. They were charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS and five counts of tax evasion.

Yoga has taken over as some people’s go-to exercise, particularly when it comes to adding some limber to your fit. Gumucio, Anderson and Soliman figured out how to turn it into a national chain, becoming sort of the McDonald’s of Yoga.

But according to prosecutors, in documents obtained by TMZ, none of the three filed individual or business tax returns. Nor did they pay any income taxes between 2013 and 2020.

“Yoga to the People allegedly avoided paying taxes by taking customer cash payments that were stuffed inside tissue boxes and passed around during classes,” TMZ reported. “Teachers were allegedly paid in cash and off the books.”

Gumucio launched the first studio in New York City in 2006, referring to it as a donation-based business. It eventually took off and now features studios in states such as California, Florida, Colorado, Arizona and Washington.

But as TMZ relayed, citing the documents: “Between 2015 and 2020, Gumucio didn’t report $1.6 million in income, and Anderson and Soliman had $2.1 million and $961,000 in unreported income, respectively. They owed $431,000, $603,000, and $196,000 in taxes, respectively, prosecutors said.”

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