Romeo Santos Sues Accounting Firm BDO USA, Claiming Millions in Losses

Bachata star Romeo Santos has sued his longtime accounting and business management firm BDO USA, claiming that gross negligence in handling his finances left him with unpaid tax bills and cost him millions in damages.

The lawsuit, filed on 12 August in a case first obtained and reported by Billboard, alleges that BDO's failures spanned nearly every function the firm was hired to perform — from paying taxes and filing returns to broader financial management. Santos is represented by attorney James Sammataro of the law firm Pryor Cashman.

Santos, whose legal name is Anthony Santos, hired the accounting firm Morrison Brown Argiz & Farra LLP in 2016. That firm was acquired by BDO in 2021, making the larger firm responsible for the singer's financial affairs. According to the complaint, BDO's mishandling included botching Santos's New York state taxes by filing what the lawsuit calls an incoherent return, which triggered a costly audit. The firm also allegedly failed to file credits for foreign taxes already withheld from Santos's royalty income — money that should have offset his US tax obligations but instead went unclaimed.

After Santos fired BDO in 2023, the situation worsened. The lawsuit claims the firm withdrew money from his account without authorisation to pay its own fees, and had not returned those funds as of the filing date. Santos says he attempted to reach an amicable resolution before suing, but that BDO rebuffed those overtures.

The complaint seeks at least $2.3 million in damages, a figure that includes tax penalties and interest, the unapproved withdrawal, costs of hiring replacement accountants, and lost value from other alleged missteps.

A spokesperson for BDO did not immediately respond to a request for comment on 13 August, according to Billboard.

This is not the first time BDO has faced accusations from a major music artist. In 2022, rapper Fat Joe filed a lawsuit claiming BDO and two of its employees orchestrated a fraud with hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme, stealing millions of dollars. That case settled in 2024 on confidential terms.

For Santos, the lawsuit follows a pattern of legal action to protect his business interests. In 2018, he sued his former manager Angelo Medina, alleging that Medina stole $481,146 (Pollstar). That federal case, filed in the Southern District of New York, also saw Santos secure dismissal of a copyright infringement claim against him in 2019 (Fox Rothschild).

Santos rose to fame in the early 2000s as the lead singer of Aventura, a bachata group that placed 13 songs in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot Latin Songs chart. Since launching his solo career in 2011, he has notched seven number-one hits on that same chart, including 'Promise' featuring Usher and 'Odio' with Drake.

The lawsuit against BDO remains in its early stages, and no court has yet ruled on the allegations. BDO has not publicly responded to the claims.