Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
Gregory Gumucio, the former leader of the yoga business Yoga to the People (YTTP), has been sentenced to four years in prison for his involvement in a tax evasion conspiracy from 2012 to 2020. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton announced that Gumucio, who made nearly $3.5 million in income during this period, failed to file tax returns or pay income taxes for at least eight consecutive years.
"Gregory Gumucio built a profitable yoga empire and lived well off its success—but he refused to pay his taxes," stated U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. "Hard-working, tax-paying New Yorkers want our Office to pursue business owners who game the tax system. With today’s sentencing, Mr. Gumucio is being held accountable."
Gumucio founded YTTP in New York City around 2006. Initially donation-based, YTTP expanded rapidly, opening approximately 20 studios across various states including California and Washington State. The business also offered a teacher training program that generated significant income.
Despite generating over $20 million in gross receipts from 2010 to 2020, YTTP never filed corporate tax returns with the IRS. From 2012 through 2020, Gumucio personally received nearly $3.5 million and owed more than $1 million in taxes but did not file personal tax returns or make payments.
During this time, Gumucio claimed six-figure incomes to third parties such as banks and real estate entities and submitted a fabricated tax return prepared by a co-defendant upon his request. He maintained an extravagant lifestyle with frequent travel and luxury expenses.
In addition to his prison sentence, the court ordered Gumucio, now 64 and residing in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to serve three years of supervised release and pay restitution of $2,729,407.10 to the IRS.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended the efforts of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s New York and Dallas Field Offices; the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General’s New York Regional Office; and Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work on this case.
The prosecution was managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rushmi Bhaskaran and Michael Neff from the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.
