Goldstein faces allegations of witness tampering and hiding more funds through fraud
Federal prosecutors have expanded their case against prominent attorney and SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein, adding new allegations to his ongoing tax fraud prosecution connected to high-stakes poker games.
Goldstein, who was indicted in January on 22 counts, including tax fraud and making false statements to mortgage lenders, now faces additional claims in a superseding indictment returned by a Maryland grand jury. Prosecutors allege he concealed nearly $1 million belonging to him and his wife from the Internal Revenue Service.
According to the updated filing, Goldstein and his wife, Amy Howe, withdrew roughly $960,000 from retirement accounts in March 2021 and transferred the funds to a company account. Prosecutors say this was done to prevent the IRS from seizing the money before it could be used toward purchasing a multi-million dollar home in Washington, D.C.—a purchase already at the center of earlier allegations involving concealed debts from mortgage lenders.
The superseding indictment also strengthens prior claims that Goldstein attempted to influence a potential witness. Prosecutors say he offered a firm manager a $10,000 bonus, student loan repayment in cryptocurrency, and other incentives “at least in part” to discourage her from cooperating with the IRS investigation. The manager allegedly had information about a woman listed as an employee of Goldstein’s law firm, a detail prosecutors suggest was central to their probe.
Other updates include revised timelines in the indictment, such as changing the year Goldstein allegedly assisted a Hollywood actor in recovering poker winnings from a Texas billionaire from 2021 to 2020.
Goldstein has pleaded not guilty and has filed multiple motions to dismiss, accusing prosecutors of misleading the court. His legal team has not issued a public response to the latest developments.
A court notice of a related case was filed on August 8, though no details have yet been disclosed.
