Owners of a NYC yoga studio are facing 30 years in prison for conspiracy and tax evasion for failing to file returns while the yoga studio raked in millions. The chain of studios closed in 2020 following allegations of questionable business practices such as pressuring instructors to work for free. Yoga session fees were donation-based and collected in tissue boxes that were passed around, but instructors were not allowed to count the money collected. Instead, the cash was brought to one studio owner’s home for “stacking parties” where the bills were counted and stacked. The owners spent the funds on personal items such as $270,000 on airfare, $76,000 on hotels, $40,000 on Denver Broncos season tickets, $39,000 at restaurants, and more than $60,000 spent at country clubs and on event tickets.
(www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/nyregion/tax-fraud-yoga-to-the-people.html)
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