Federal Judge Denies Motion to Suppress Key Statements
Attorney Tom Goldstein has suffered a pretrial setback after a federal judge denied his attempt to suppress statements he made about nearly $1 million in alleged poker winnings he brought into the United States in 2018. The ruling means prosecutors can use those statements in their upcoming tax fraud case against the Maryland lawyer.
The $968K Poker Cash Controversy
According to prosecutors, Goldstein flew from Hong Kong to Washington, D.C. in October 2018 with a duffel bag containing $968,000 in cash. He allegedly told Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials that the money represented poker winnings from high-stakes games around the world. However, investigators say Goldstein later informed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that the funds were actually a loan, not gambling profits.
The allegations form part of a broader case accusing Goldstein of failing to report millions of dollars in poker winnings over several years, with investigators estimating he may have earned as much as $50 million from private high-stakes games.
Judge Griggsby’s Ruling
U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby ruled on October 7 that Goldstein’s motion to suppress his statements would be denied. Goldstein had argued that his Fifth Amendment rights were violated because he was not read his Miranda rights during the customs screening. Judge Griggsby rejected the argument, stating that Goldstein “was not in custody during his October 25, 2018, customs screening process.”
The judge also denied Goldstein’s separate motion to dismiss several counts of the indictment, ruling that questions related to the statute of limitations must be raised as an affirmative defense during trial.
Superseding Indictment and New Allegations
Two months earlier, a Grand Jury for the District of Maryland returned a superseding indictment adding new details but no new charges. Among the new allegations, prosecutors claim Goldstein attempted to dissuade a firm manager from cooperating with the IRS by offering her a $10,000 bonus and student loan repayments in cryptocurrency. Goldstein has challenged that claim in a motion to dismiss.
Goldstein Pleads Not Guilty
During an arraignment hearing held on October 7, Goldstein entered a plea of not guilty to all charges in the superseding indictment. He had previously pleaded not guilty following the original indictment earlier in the case.
With his motions denied, prosecutors are now set to move forward using Goldstein’s statements about the duffel bag cash as evidence. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 13, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Maryland Southern Division, where the next chapter of this high-stakes legal battle will unfold.
