Dwelling
Net First
SCOTUSblog founder Goldstein may depart…
Prison Justice
SCOTUSblog founder Goldstein may depart nation, reside comfortably, keep away from seize, prosecutors say
By Debra Cassens Weiss
September 16, 2025, 10:41 am CDT
Warning that U.S. Supreme Court docket litigator Tom Goldstein is a flight threat, federal prosecutors say his house 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. (Picture by Alex Brandon/The Related Press)
Warning that U.S. Supreme Court docket litigator Tom Goldstein is a flight threat, federal prosecutors say his house 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 skill to acquire high-value loans from rich people and expertise with monetary establishments overseas, the defendant has the power to depart the nation, reside comfortably and keep away from seize,” prosecutors wrote in a Sept. 12 courtroom submitting.
Prosecutors are looking for forfeiture of Goldstein’s Washington, D.C., house if he’s convicted of creating false statements to a mortgage lender. Circumstances of Goldstein’s pretrial launch additionally require that Goldstein forfeit the house if he fails to look in courtroom.
Law360 lined the newest growth within the case in Maryland federal courtroom in opposition to Goldstein, a co-founder of SCOTUSblog. Goldstein was charged in January with tax evasion, aiding and helping the preparation of false tax returns, willful failure to pay taxes, and making false statements on mortgage mortgage functions. 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 non-public and federal tax debt, he wouldn’t have been capable of maintain the house secure from a litigation funder, prosecutors say. In accordance with the superseding indictment in opposition to Goldstein, he entered into two agreements with a mortgage funder during 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 legal professionals, 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 nations and his intensive worldwide journey imply that he’s higher geared up than the common defendant to depart the USA to keep away from the intense felony expenses he faces right here. This threat of flight could also be increased now provided that Defendant and his spouse apparently intend to divorce.”
Goldstein owns the Washington, D.C., house along with his spouse, SCOTUSblog co-founder and reporter Amy Howe.
Moreover, prosecutors stated, Goldstein has solely $600,000 in fairness within the house, which is way lower than the quantity that he’ll owe his attorneys.
Goldstein argues that his spouse needs to promote the house to entry her share of fairness. He’s looking for to substitute South Carolina properties owned by his father, stepmother and sister as collateral for his look bond.
Goldstein’s legal professionals argue in an Aug. 29 courtroom submitting that his Washington, D.C., house was acquired unbiased of any criminal activity, and “the federal government’s argument on the contrary relies on a wildly speculative principle that (to the protection’s information) has by no means been adopted by any courtroom.”
However Goldstein “has solely himself in charge,” the federal government stated. “By deliberately failing to reveal thousands and thousands of {dollars} in non-public 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 courtroom submitting.
Write a letter to the editor, share a narrative tip or replace, or report an error.
