Prosecutors Suggest Goldstein Gambled While on Pretrial Release

Supreme Court lawyer Tom Goldstein, convicted earlier this year on tax and other charges related to years of high-stakes gambling on poker, reported more than $1.7 million in 2025 gambling income—calling into question whether he was still gambling after being indicted last January, prosecutors said in a court filing.

After his trial wrapped earlier this year, Goldstein filed his 2025 tax return, “reporting over $3 million in taxable income, and over $1.7 million in gambling income,” prosecutors said in the Wednesday filing. “Those numbers call into question his repeated claims that he could not pay his attorneys, and also his compliance with release conditions barring gambling and engaging in financial transactions without first notifying Pretrial Services.”

Even if Goldstein didn’t technically mislead the court or violate bond conditions, prosecutors say his decision to file a return for 2025, when he was barred from gambling, but not for tax years 2022, 2023, 2024, when he was actively gambling, is telling.

The SCOTUSblog co-founder stipulated at trial to winning more than $21 million in 2022 alone.

Goldstein has been trying to postpone his sentencing, now scheduled for June 16, but prosecutors said continuing the hearing will only “amplify the risk that he flees,” suggesting he’s violated release conditions.

In a supplemental motion, also filed in the US District Court for the District of Maryland on Wednesday, Goldstein said he has been “fully compliant with his release conditions since the jury verdict” and that a continuance won’t increase the risk of flight.

Goldstein was found guilty in February on one count of tax evasion, one count each of willful failure to timely pay taxes for four tax years, three counts of making a false statement on a loan application, and four out of eight counts of aiding and assisting in preparation of a false tax return. He was found not guilty on the other four counts.

His convictions for making a false statement on a loan application carry a maximum of 30 years for each count. Goldstein also faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment for tax evasion, three years for each count of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, and one year on each count of willful failure to pay taxes.

Goldstein has asked for the sentencing delay to give the court adequate time to resolve post trial motions and to resolve his objections to the draft pre-sentence investigation report. He also says his lead attorney has a conflict on the day the hearing is scheduled.

The case is before Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby.

Liu Shur Kravis LLP and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP represent Goldstein.

The case is United States v. Goldstein, D. Md., No. 8:25-cr-00006, government’s opposition 5/6/26.