Goldstein’s Ex-Firm Managers Talk IRS Probe, Accounting Errors

One of Tom Goldstein’s former law firm managers, whom prosecutors say Goldstein tried to dissuade from cooperating with the IRS’s criminal investigation, resumed testifying Monday in the tax evasion and false statements trial of the SCOTUSBlog founder.

Katie Bart testified that Goldstein offered her things of value, including an unspecified amount of crypto and a $10,000 bonus, after she told him she intended to resign in October 2020. She said Jan. 29 that her testimony was covered by an immunity agreement.

In text messages she sent to another former office manager around the time, she said Goldstein was “losing it” and that the “tax stuff must be getting to him” because he kept offering her money.

On cross, she acknowledged that he never suggested she shouldn’t cooperate with the IRS. And she said she regretted sending text messages suggesting he was up to something nefarious, saying she wish she’d just said what she was feeling, “rather than speculating” about what was in his mind.

She also said that it would be reasonable for Goldstein to have offered her a bonus as an incentive to get her to stay on the job. She was resigning earlier than the two years she was expected to commit to and said she had been working hard to help Goldstein respond to the government’s investigation.

Bart told jurors she found the job at Goldstein & Russell PC isolating and stressful. IRS agents showing up at the firm’s office in connection with the criminal investigation Oct. 14, 2020, convinced her to resign, though she agreed to stay on through the end of the year if necessary while they found and trained her replacement.

Angie Gou, Bart’s replacement, also testified Monday. She’s the fourth of the firm’s former office managers to take the stand. Unlike some of her predecessors, Gou said she was somewhat aware of Goldstein’s gambling from the start.

When she interviewed for the job, Goldstein told her a story about being at a high-stakes poker game that resulted in one player handing a hotel deed to another. She also handled wires that Goldstein affirmatively identified as gambling-related.

She knew about his tax woes too, and helped him with some related issues, like renegotiating a payment plan after he’d defaulted on the first one.

The government was able to build some of the factual foundation for its claims that Goldstein temporarily parked a mortgage down payment in his law firm’s trust account, allegedly to shield it from IRS collections. She also gave testimony that supported the government’s claim that Goldstein failed to disclose his use of crypto.

Still, her cross-examination helped bolster the defense’s claim that Goldstein relied on his employees and outside accountants and bookkeepers to ensure his taxes were correct.

She wasn’t satisfied with GRF CPAs & Advisors. They “for sure” needed to be more detail-oriented and communicative, she told the jury.

GRF failed altogether to submit a return for Goldstein’s wife’s taxes for 2021 and were confused about why she needed to submit a return in DC, even though they were on notice that the Goldsteins had moved to DC from Maryland that year.

GRF was also supposed to be filing separate returns for Goldstein and his wife starting in 2021, but seemingly forgot.

GRF employees are expected to testify in coming days.

The government’s third witness Monday was an IRS “witness coordinator.” He wasn’t part of the investigation but reviewed records to provide summary information about financial information reported on Goldstein’s tax returns.

Jurors were also read certain “joint stipulations,” or undisputed facts. One related to examples of Goldstein’s spending on luxury items, cars, and vacations while he was behind on taxes. The other related to money Goldstein won or lost against, and invested in, professional poker player Michael McGuiness between 2020 and 2022.

Goldstein is represented by Munger Tolles & Olson LLP.

The case is United States v. Goldstein, D. Md., No. 8:25-cr-00006, trial held 2/2/26.