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Three longtime leaders of a popular New York City yoga studio network have been accused of bending over backward to dodge taxes — and are now facing federal charges for the alleged fraud, authorities said Wednesday.

The C-suite executives of Yoga to the People — Gregory Gumucio, Michael Anderson, and Haven Soliman — were charged by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York with conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion for their roles in the alleged years-long scheme.

Prosecutors say the trio went to great lengths to avoid paying taxes, accepting only cash payments from students and paying teachers off the books from at least 2013 to 2020, as the network, which started as a single studio in the East Village, expanded across the US and internationally.


  Leaders of a popular NYC yoga studio were charged with conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion. Yoga To The People/Wayback Machine Leaders of a popular NYC yoga studio were charged with conspiracy to defraud the IRS and tax evasion. Yoga To The People/Wayback Machine

From 2010 to 2020, Yoga to the People raked in some $20 million in revenue — but never filed a tax return with the IRS, the feds alleged.

During that period, Gumucio, 61, Anderson, 51, and Soliman, 33, spent the cash on trips across the globe, sports tickets and other lavish activities.

From 2011 to 2014, for instance, Gumucio “had Denver Broncos season tickets, totaling approximately $40,640,” according to the criminal complaint.


  Authorities say Yoga to the People never filed a tax return from 2010 to 2020. Getty Images Authorities say Yoga to the People never filed a tax return from 2010 to 2020. Getty Images

Soliman identified herself as the wife of Gumucio, who founded Yoga to the People in 2006, the complaint states. She allegedly spent “$48,900 in horse-related fees, including for apparent horse shows, a ‘horse lease,’ horse boarding, and horseshoes” in 2017 and 2018, the feds said.

As part of the alleged scheme, yoga teachers collected cash in tissue boxes that were passed around the studios and later organized the money at so-called stacking parties, some of which took place in Gumucio’s St. Mark’s Place apartment.

At the East Village “stacking parties,” employees sometimes loaded a guitar case in the apartment with tens of thousands of dollars, the complaint alleges.

In one instance, more than $30,000 was stuffed into the case, according to the feds.

When Gumucio couldn’t be present at the events, he allegedly provided direction via text message about how to stash the cash.

“When he was not physically present, Gumucio sought regular updates via text message as to the ‘totals,’ including the amount of cash being stored in his guitar case in his apartment,” the complaint states.

The trio was arrested in Washington state Wednesday morning and was expected to make an initial court appearance there.

Attorney information for them was not immediately available.

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