The influencer is asking his followers to help pay off debts with the Treasury Department

Valdemar Santos Flores, known on social networks as “Valdes of Rodes” and his wife, Arlene M. Jimenez Rodriguez, will face trial for tax evasion.

This decision was announced by the influencer and YouTuber in a video he posted to his accounts in which he wonders if he will go to jail in the case of “Puerto Rico vs. My Family”.

And though he initially claimed the Treasury Department was unwilling to accept his offers to avoid facing legal action and a possible prison sentence, he later posted another video yesterday asking for money to pay off the debt.

“They see the address written there, and they’re practically asking for help. Those who want from the heart and those who won’t be there,” he said in a YouTube video titled “I Need Help Plan B Followers and Friends of Waldys Off Road.”

As he agreed, the Treasury offered him to pay half of the money owed and then set up a payment plan for the rest of the money.

Santos Flores and his wife were charged on April 6 with making $900,000 in contributions to the Treasury Department. Specifically, the defendants face 14 counts of violation of Section 6030.16(a), penalty for filing fraudulent returns, statements, affidavits and allegations, of the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Code of 2011, as amended. They allegedly omitted income for the taxable years 2017 to 2020.

However, Santos Flores said the amount has increased.

“It’s a rather big amount. It’s not the one that was said the first time. An agreement has already been reached. But, anyway, for someone like me, these are exorbitant numbers. I’m not a millionaire. I’m a person who works and works hard,” he said, without elaborating. Sets the number.

In the video asking for help, an email address was attached GoFundMe in which monetary cooperation is requested. So far, he has raised $19,430, when the target was $700,000.

The message on the page states that the applicant is “Eric Jimenez, son-in-law of Valdemar Santos (better known as Valdes of Rod) and brother of Arlen Jimenez.”

“Because of mismanagement of accounts by their financial advisor for 4 years, they are in a serious financial situation that is directly linked to the Treasury Department and therefore has the possibility of going to jail. I opened this GoFundMe account to support them and raise the money they need so they can pay the Treasury Department. The total amount will triple. Almost times the original debt due to penalties, fines and additional fees required due to mismanagement and advice,” it was established.

Following the disclosure of the fundraising drive for Santos Flores and his wife, a Treasury spokesperson, Wilmar Trenta, stated that the agency “does not interfere or interfere with the mechanisms taxpayers use to obtain resources to comply with their tax obligations, provided it is lawful.”

Meanwhile, on donations, Trenta explained that “according to the Internal Revenue Code, they are generally not taxable to the extent that there are no considerations for said donations.”

Before applying for funding, the influencer announced on Wednesday that he would go on trial.

“Unfortunately, then, the case is on trial. After eight months of trying to come to an agreement, well, we couldn’t come to an agreement, because the government (the Treasury) didn’t accept any of my offers and didn’t make me any. Frankly, it was This is a very slow process.”

“My intention has always been to find a way to pay. Their goal is to collect money. But pay in such a way that one can continue to live and can continue to live with and provide for my family.”

On the other hand, the influencer said that he would put this problem in God’s hands “so that it ends now” and that the entire judicial process he was facing was “very difficult”.

“It really happened to a level that we didn’t want,” he concluded.