Tom Goldstein, the high-stakes poker-playing attorney who was charged in January with 22 counts of tax evasion and fraud, is continuing his battle over the collateral for his pre-trial bond release.
Despite multiple rulings that his Washington, DC home must remain the property used to secure his appearance for a future trial, a schedule has now been set for the continuing battle for his ongoing attempts to replace the upscale DC home with multiple properties offered by his parents and siblings.
At issue is nearly $700,000 in collateral in Goldstein's home that he continues to assert he must be allowed to borrow against in order to fund his defense in what is expected to be a lengthy and costly case. Goldstein is accused of failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars of gambling winnings and lying on multiple mortgage applications to continue funding his lifestyle and poker career.
Schedule set for ongoing Goldtein battle
In a recent scheduling order, presiding judge Lydia Kay Griggsby noted that Goldstein has again indicated his intent to file another motion for review of the amended order setting the conditions of his release, meaning his repeated push to swap the secured properties.
That's led Judge Griggsby to establish a schedule for continuing arguments over the next several weeks, including these steps:
- February 27: Defendant's motion for review.
- March 6: Government's response in opposition to defendant’s motion for review.
- March 10: Defendant’s reply.
- TBD: Hearing on defendant’s motion for review.
Goldstein did win one minor victory in his recent motions, in that he will continue to be allowed to represent himself alongside his new counsel in the case. Goldstein retired from his SCOTUS-appearing legal practice in 2023 after arguing 45 different cases before the US's highest court over the years.
The case is expected to be massive, with federal prosecutors declaring that as many as 80 witnesses will be subpoenaed to testify. That number includes several high-stakes pros and poker-world figures with whom Goldstein played and conducted financial transactions over the years in some of the largest private games in the world.
Feature image courtesy of Wikipedia Creative Commons
