Felony Justice
SCOTUSblog founder Goldstein might depart nation, reside comfortably, keep away from seize, prosecutors say
September 16, 2025, 10:41 am CDT
Warning that U.S. Supreme Court docket litigator Tom Goldstein is a flight danger, federal prosecutors say his dwelling was purchased with tainted funds and shouldn’t be bought to finance his authorized protection in a case alleging that he evaded taxes on thousands and thousands of {dollars} in high-stakes poker winnings. (Photograph by Alex Brandon/The Related Press)
Warning that U.S. Supreme Court docket litigator Tom Goldstein is a flight danger, federal prosecutors say his dwelling was purchased with tainted funds and shouldn’t be bought to finance his authorized protection in a case alleging that he evaded taxes on thousands and thousands of {dollars} in high-stakes poker winnings.
“Collectively along with his means to acquire high-value loans from rich people and expertise with monetary establishments overseas, the defendant has the flexibility to go away the nation, reside comfortably and keep away from seize,” prosecutors wrote in a Sept. 12 court docket submitting.
Prosecutors are searching for forfeiture of Goldstein’s Washington, D.C., dwelling if he’s convicted of constructing false statements to a mortgage lender. Situations of Goldstein’s pretrial launch additionally require that Goldstein forfeit the house if he fails to seem in court docket.
Law360 coated the newest improvement within the case in Maryland federal court docket towards Goldstein, a co-founder of SCOTUSblog. Goldstein was charged in January with tax evasion, aiding and aiding the preparation of false tax returns, willful failure to pay taxes, and making false statements on mortgage mortgage purposes. An Aug. 7 superseding indictment repeated the fees however added new allegations about misuse of his legislation agency belief account and makes an attempt to affect his agency supervisor.
However for Goldstein’s false statements to a mortgage lender that omitted $15 million in personal and federal tax debt, he wouldn’t have been capable of preserve the house secure from a litigation funder, prosecutors say. In response to the superseding indictment towards Goldstein, he entered into two agreements with a mortgage funder by which he successfully borrowed $1.6 million and $4 million. The cash allowed him to repay private liabilities that had led to tax liens.
Goldstein “protests that he doesn’t have enough funds to pay his attorneys, however he was capable of borrow thousands and thousands for his poker video games,” prosecutors wrote.
Goldstein’s “ties to gamblers and people in different international locations and his intensive worldwide journey imply that he’s higher outfitted than the common defendant to go away the USA to keep away from the intense felony fees he faces right here. This danger of flight could also be greater now provided that Defendant and his spouse apparently intend to divorce.”
Goldstein owns the Washington, D.C., dwelling along with his spouse, SCOTUSblog co-founder and reporter Amy Howe.
Moreover, prosecutors stated, Goldstein has solely $600,000 in fairness within the dwelling, which is way lower than the quantity that he’ll owe his attorneys.
Goldstein argues that his spouse desires to promote the house to entry her share of fairness. He’s searching for to substitute South Carolina properties owned by his father, stepmother and sister as collateral for his look bond.
Goldstein’s attorneys argue in an Aug. 29 court docket submitting that his Washington, D.C., dwelling was acquired impartial of any criminality, and “the federal government’s argument on the contrary is predicated on a wildly speculative principle that (to the protection’s information) has by no means been adopted by any court docket.”
However Goldstein “has solely himself guilty,” the federal government stated. “By deliberately failing to reveal thousands and thousands of {dollars} in personal money owed to the mortgage lenders and apparently failing to alert his spouse to that call, he gambled that he wouldn’t get caught. That turned out to be a dropping guess,” prosecutors stated, quoting from an earlier court docket submitting.
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