The federal government has accused a Kentfield couple of dodging nearly $2 million in income taxes.
Its plan to recoup the money: Seize the couple’s retreat center in Nicasio, which is enshrouded in layers of what the prosecution considers fraudulent business entities.
Federal prosecutors filed a civil action on July 25 against David Raynal, a real estate businessman, and Maryanne Comaroto, a motivational speaker, relationship coach and radio personality who has authored books such as “Hindsight: What You Need to Know Before You Drop Your Drawers.”
Comaroto and Raynal own a property dubbed “Gassho House” on Lucas Valley Road in Nicasio. The property is advertised as a luxury retreat center offering “a unique boutique venue for your wellness retreat, staff meeting or off-site training.”
The government is seeking to seize and sell off Gassho House to pay down the debts it says Comaroto and Raynal have incurred.
When Comaroto and Raynal jointly filed their federal income taxes in 2010, they reported owing $472,097, which they never paid, according to the federal complaint. After 11-plus years of interest and other fees, that unpaid balance has grown to $877,497.44, the prosecution alleges.
After 2010, Comaroto and Raynal began filing their federal tax returns separately, and Raynal skipped payments in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 for a total of $941,151.20, authorities allege.
The couple had years earlier formed a limited liability company, Unlimited Partnerships, specifically “to hide assets,” according to the federal complaint. Unlimited was the owner of record for several of the couple’s residential properties and eventually Gassho House, but was in reality indistinguishable from the couple themselves, despite Raynal purportedly dissolving his interest in 2013 and transferring some to Comaroto’s son Nolan Ellis, according to the complaint.
The couple formed another LLC, 555 Lucas Valley Road, which owned the retreat center on paper, but the couple nevertheless remained the true owners, the complaint says.
The retreat center itself includes a main house, a 30-foot yurt described on the retreat’s website as “a gentle, healing vortex,” four “permanent glamping tents,” a fire pit, a lap pool, a hot tub and an orchard.
The government is asking the courts to uphold its claims for unpaid taxes and penalties — $877,497.44 against the couple, another $941,151.20 against Raynal alone — and to declare fraudulent the couple’s real estate transfers with their business entities.
Neither Comaroto nor Raynal has filed a response in court to the government’s allegations.
The government has also asked to recoup its liens through selling off the resort, arguing that Comaroto and Raynal are the “true owners of Gassho House despite the purported conveyances” to their business entities.
On Amazon, Comaroto advertises her 2003 memoir “Skinny, Tan and Rich: Unveiling the Myth” as “the incredibly personal true story of how one woman who appeared to have it all — wealth, beauty, and power — survived death, sex, drugs, rape, the Mafia, and found what she was ultimately looking for.”
Raynal “helped start the world’s first sleep clinic,” according to the federal complaint. A business website for the couple indicates the clinic was at Stanford University, where Raynal attained degrees in religious studies and psychology. Raynal was previously managing partner in CitiApartments in San Francisco.
University officials have not responded to inquiries seeking to confirm Raynal helped start a sleep clinic there.
Comaroto and Raynal did not respond to messages requesting comment, nor did Andrew Weill, a San Francisco attorney who has filled out paperwork on their behalf in the case. Weill also signed paperwork on behalf of Unlimited and 555 Lucas Valley Road, which are both named as defendants.
Nobody answered the gate at the Kentfield home listed as Comaroto and Raynal’s residence.
The federal complaint also names Ellis, the California Franchise Tax Board and Marin County as defendants. The complaint says each “may claim an interest in the real property” involved in the case, according to the complaint.
“At present, our understanding is that our only interest is in taxes that may become due,” said Marin County Counsel Brian Washington. He said his office is still reviewing the complaint.
Andrew LePage, a spokesman for the state tax board, said the agency does not typically comment on pending litigation.
Ellis could not be reached for comment, and nobody answered the door at his San Rafael residence.
Source: www.mercurynews.com