Embattled legal professional and ultra-high-stakes poker participant Tom Goldstein gained seven figures playing the identical yr he was indicted and ordered to not play poker, however he says he gained the $1.7 million earlier than his January 2025 arraignment.
Goldstein, who was convicted earlier this yr on tax prices stemming from heads-up poker matches that noticed him profitable and dropping tens of hundreds of thousands, filed a movement in March to delay his sentencing that’s at present scheduled for June 16. The previous famous person legal professional additionally requested a retrial or full acquittal, arguing that the jury’s verdict “is straight traceable to a sequence of authorized errors.”
Prosecutors opposed pushing again sentencing, arguing that Goldstein “poses a severe danger of flight within the face of simply punishment” and pointing to his need to play heads-up poker towards Texas billionaire Andy Beal. And now, they’re pointing to his 2025 playing winnings.
Feds Allege Tom Goldstein is a Flight Danger Who Needs to Tackle Andy Beal
$1.7 Million in New Playing Winnings
In an opposing movement to Goldstein’s request for a continued sentencing listening to, prosecutors wrote that Goldstein reported over $3 million in taxable earnings in 2025, together with over $1.7 million in playing earnings. Goldstein was indicted on Jan. 16, 2025, and was shortly after ordered to not gamble or play poker.
“These numbers name into query his repeated claims that he couldn’t pay his attorneys, and likewise his compliance with launch situations barring playing and interesting in monetary transactions with out first notifying Pretrial Providers,” federal prosecutors wrote on Could 6. “And even when he didn’t technically mislead the Courtroom or violate any situations, his willingness to file a tax return for a yr (2025) when he was barred from playing solely highlights his selection to not file returns for years (2022-2024) when he was nonetheless actively playing.”
Prosecutors additional argued that Goldstein’s playing earnings lately, together with over $21 million in 2022, helps the concept that he “presents a considerable flight danger” and {that a} continuance “would give him extra time and alternative to flee.”
However financial institution information, his attorneys argued in a Monday submitting, present that the 2025 playing winnings had been deposited earlier than Goldstein’s Jan. 27 arraignment, and subsequently “earlier than launch situations had been imposed on this case.” Additional, Goldstein reported these playing winnings to Pretrial Providers in January 2025, in line with his attorneys.
Goldstein’s attorneys accused prosecutors of constant a “troubling sample of reckless and false allegations about Mr. Goldstein.”
“After the federal government filed its opposition, the protection requested the federal government’s proof exhibiting that Mr. Goldstein violated these launch situations in 2025 — the federal government has not responded,” they wrote. “In reality, Mr. Goldstein has been absolutely compliant along with his launch situations since they had been imposed, together with the situations that he not gamble and that he disclose sure monetary transactions to Pretrial Providers.”
Decide Denies Bid to Delay Sentencing
Additionally on Monday, U.S. District Decide Lydia Kay Griggsby denied Goldstein’s movement to proceed sentencing, noting that Goldstein “has not proven good trigger” to take action.
Decide Griggsby, who oversaw Goldstein’s high-profile trial in Maryland earlier this yr, ordered that Goldstein’s sentencing stay on June 16 and {that a} listening to on his movement for acquittal or a brand new trial be heard the identical day.
In calling for a continuance, Goldstein’s attorneys famous that lead legal professional Jonathan Kravis has a scheduling battle and that post-trial briefing had raised “various complicated points” that can require time and a focus.
Goldstein was discovered responsible in February on one depend of tax evasion, 4 counts of willful failure to well timed pay taxes, three counts of constructing false statements to mortgage lenders, and 4 counts of aiding and helping in preparation of a false tax return.
Connor Richards
Senior Editor U.S.
