Live-video app founder Uri Raz pleads guilty to felony tax evasion

Uri Raz, who helped launch the live-video and messaging service Tango, pleaded guilty to a felony tax-evasion charge in federal court on Monday. The indictment alleges that he failed to report a $2 million offshore deposit made in 2008, which should have generated more than $600,000 in U.S. taxes. Under the proposed plea deal, Raz must pay restitution of over $23 million and fines surpassing $1.2 million, though prison time may be avoided if the judge accepts the agreement.

He is being held on a $5 million secured bond and will be sentenced on November 10. Raz, a former CEO who now serves as executive chairman, also faces possible deportation after renouncing his U.S. citizenship. The investigation linked the hidden funds to a Mauritius-registered company and a Swiss bank account. Tango, once valued at over $1 billion, was removed from Apple’s store in 2024 but remains available on Android and other marketplaces.