Criminal Justice
Poker-playing SCOTUSblog founder has net worth of negative $3.3M, criminal court document says
A U.S. magistrate judge wrongly concluded that SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein could finance his defense in a tax evasion case with his bank accounts, Goldstein asserted in a court filing Wednesday. (Photo by Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)
A U.S. magistrate judge wrongly concluded that SCOTUSblog co-founder Tom Goldstein could finance his defense in a tax evasion case with his bank accounts, the former U.S. Supreme Court litigator asserted in a court filing Wednesday.
Goldstein currently has a negative net worth of more than $3.3 million, according to a pretrial services report that Goldstein cited in a Feb. 5 motion.
Law360, Bloomberg Law and PokerNews have coverage.
Among the allegations in Goldstein’s Jan. 16 indictment are that he schemed to understate gambling winnings on tax returns that he earned in “ultrahigh-stakes” poker matches while using his boutique law firm to pay debts.
Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan of the District of Maryland had required Goldstein to use his marital home as collateral to guarantee his criminal court appearance while rejecting the lawyer’s request last month to substitute property owned by family members.
Goldstein wants to tap the equity in his marital home to fund his defense.The magistrate judge’s refusal to substitute properties violates his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, Goldstein said.
The substitute properties are worth more than the $3.2 million marital home when the outstanding $1.8 million mortgage is taken into account, the motion said.
Refusing to allow substitute collateral also prejudices Goldstein’s wife, “who all agree is an entirely innocent party,” Goldstein wrote. Goldstein is married to SCOTUSblog co-founder and reporter Amy Howe.
In addition, Goldstein wrote, “The magistrate judge’s conclusion that Mr. Goldstein might flee—and strip his closest family members of by far their most significant assets—is not supported by the record,” including a pretrial services report that recommended no secured bond.
Goldstein described himself as “a deeply respected member of the bar who practiced at the highest levels for decades.”
Bloomberg Law reports he argued 45 cases before the Supreme Court before he retired in 2023.
The indictment also accuses Goldstein of failing to report cryptocurrency transactions, using his firm’s money to pay women he was pursuing or with whom he was involved, and failing to report money owed in debts and taxes when he applied for a mortgage.
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