“As alleged, the defendants operated a lucrative nationwide yoga business, which brought in over $20 million and netted them each substantial sums, permitting them to live lavish lifestyles. Attorney Damian Williams said the investigation into the yoga network was continuing and he urged anyone who believes they were a victim “of any crimes” related to the organization or if they have information about the defendants in the case to reach out. Less than two weeks later, New York magazine published its own piece, saying former employees had described the yoga group as cult-like, saying that “behind the company's shiny, friendly facade was a dark and dysfunctional workplace built on secrecy and manipulation.” The July 2020 yoga network's closing came just before VICE News published a lengthy investigative report saying interviews with more than 30 people who knew or worked with Gumucio since the mid-1990s “depict him as a predator with a penchant for controlling and sexually manipulating bright and often vulnerable young women.” Gumucio, according to a government release, “targeted and groomed typically young women and others to become nominee ‘owners’ of studios, luring them with the title of studio owner when, in fact, he generally controlled business decisions, took a cut of their proceeds, and the nominees generally took on meaningful financial risk.”
The complaint said the defendants evaded taxes by failing to create a corporate headquarters or keep corporate books and records and by accepting yoga students' payments in cash, sometimes collected in tissue boxes passed around during classes, and by paying yoga teachers in cash and “off the books.” They said the trio enjoyed extravagant lifestyles, including frequent foreign travel, NFL season tickets, horse lodging, along with expensive meals and clothing. They said all three claimed their annual incomes were six figures in loan or rental applications from 2013 to 2020, when they filed no individual tax returns. The complaint said Soliman had described herself as Gumucio's husband in a draft of a 2012 email, but it added that no marriage certificate has been located, though they "are long-term romantic partners."Īuthorities described Gumucio as the founder, principal owner and functional chief executive officer of the organization while Anderson served as a chief financial officer and Soliman was its chief communications officer and director of its Teacher Training Program, which earned substantial income from aspiring yoga teachers. It wasn't immediately clear who would represent them at a court appearance in Washington State. (They make many guest appearances on Zoom.Arrested on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service were Gregory Gumucio, 61, and Haven Soliman, 33, both of Cathlamet, Washington, along with Michael Anderson, 51, of Bellevue, Washington. I currently live in Brooklyn with my two dogs and cat. Our yoga and mindfulness practices should be a place of solace not a place that makes us more anxious or feels intimidating. My goal is to provide a space that is gentle, inspirational and informative for people who are currently experiencing traumatic symptoms or for people just looking to create more of a sense of ease in their lives. My practice is also informed by years of healing from an autoimmune disease and surviving a major head trauma after being hit by a car while riding on a moped.
I have studied with Guru Dharam, Tias Little, Seane Corn and many others. I am a certified teacher of Hatha yoga and Kundalini yoga and focus on trauma informed mindfulness practices. I left to focus my effort on building yoga programs catered for people who wouldn’t normally be comfortable practicing in a studio. At the Equinox, I created yoga programs including yoga for men. In 2010, I moved to NYC and worked at the Tribeca Equinox and was awarded the Trainer of the Year in 2011.
I taught yoga at the Florida State University Student Center (The Leach Center), to the Florida State University football team as well as in studios and gyms in the Tallahassee area.