Bachata artist Romeo Santos has filed a malpractice lawsuit in the United States against accounting firm BDO USA, seeking at least $2.3 million in damages.
The complaint was lodged on Wednesday (Aug. 12) in New York. Santos, whose full name is Anthony Santos, accuses the firm of “gross negligence” across nearly every financial function it was hired to perform, including paying taxes and filing returns.
Years of Alleged Negligence#
Santos first retained Morrison Brown Argiz & Farra LLP in 2016, according to the lawsuit. The firm was presented as an entertainment-industry specialist able to manage the finances of a global touring artist. BDO acquired the practice in 2021.
The suit alleges that the firm mishandled his New York state taxes with an “incoherent” filing that triggered a costly audit, and failed to claim credits for foreign taxes already withheld from his royalties.
“The withholding was no secret: it appeared on the face of the royalty statements in BDO’s files,” the suit states. “Yet year after year, the credits went unclaimed.”
James Sammataro of Pryor Cashman, representing Santos, wrote that the firm “delivered instead was gross negligence, year after year.”
Unauthorized Withdrawal After Firing#
Santos terminated BDO in 2023. The lawsuit claims that immediately afterward, the firm withdrew money from his account without authorization to pay its own fees.
“The episode is a fitting coda to the engagement: the firm that could not manage to remit Santos’ taxes on time remitted its own fee without delay, after it was fired from his account, without asking,” the filing reads. “To this day, BDO has not returned the money.”
The claimed damages include:
- Tax penalties and interest
- The unapproved withdrawal
- The cost of hiring new accountants to correct the issues
- Lost value from other professional missteps
Prior Legal Action Against BDO#
Santos is not the first music figure to take legal action against BDO. In 2022, rapper Fat Joe filed a lawsuit alleging that the firm and two employees engaged in fraud with the “hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme.” That case was settled on confidential terms in 2024.
Santos rose to fame as the lead singer of bachata group Aventura, which placed 13 songs in the top 10 of the Hot Latin Songs chart. His solo career, launched in 2011, has produced seven chart-topping hits on that tally, including “Odio” featuring Drake and “Promise” featuring Usher.
A BDO spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday (Aug. 13).
