{"id":377759,"date":"2026-10-20T10:02:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:02:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377759\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T10:02:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T10:02:22","slug":"wall-street-con-man-daniel-gordon-dodges-59m-ny-tax-bill-lives-it-up-in-calif","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/377759\/","title":{"rendered":"Wall Street con man Daniel Gordon dodges $59M NY tax bill, lives it up in Calif."},"content":{"rendered":"

A convicted Wall Street swindler<\/a> who was named New York\u2019s No. 1 tax deadbeat a decade ago has been living it up in California, running a charity praised by Gov. Gavin Newsom <\/a>and hawking erectile dysfunction pills \u2014 all while dodging a tax bill that has soared to $59.1 million, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Daniel Gordon \u2014 an ex-Merrill Lynch trader who pleaded guilty in 2003 <\/a>to bilking the bank out of $43 million in a brazen wire fraud scheme \u2014 lives with his wife, Kate, in a 10,495-square-foot spread near Palm Springs, Calif. that\u2019s worth more than $5 million, state tax records show.<\/p>\n

The sprawling compound in Rancho Mirage \u2014 a posh desert enclave whose residents have included Frank Sinatra, Bill Gates and President Gerald Ford \u2014 boasts a sunken tennis court, a three-hole putting green and a resort-style pool with cascading waterfalls and a swim-up bar, according to a realtor listing.<\/a><\/p>\n

Reinventing himself as a Golden State do-gooder, Daniel Gordon is shown smiling in a classroom full of children, in a photo promoting Gordon Philanthropies\u2019 work to promote literacy. Gordonphilanthropies.org<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 50-year-old Gordon has reinvented himself as a Golden State philanthropist. He operates a prison reform charity called Gordon Philanthropies, doing TV interviews and photo-ops with LAPD and the California Department of Corrections\u00a0and plastering his website with photos of him smiling at ribbon-cuttings and charitable events.<\/p>\n

In November 2024, Gordon even got a gushing letter of praise from Gov. Newsom, who addressed the letter to \u201cDaniel\u201d and added a large, handwritten \u201cThank you!\u201d in addition to his signature at the bottom. The missive is proudly displayed on his charity\u2019s Facebook page.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you again for your generous contributions,\u201d Newsom wrote. \u201cI look forward to your continued partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon and Newsom\u2019s office did not respond to requests for comment. California prison officials ignored The Post\u2019s questions about Gordon\u2019s criminal past and towering tax tab, pointing instead to rules that let them take private gifts.<\/p>\n

All of this comes after New York tax enforcers singled out Gordon in 2016 as the state\u2019s biggest tax dodger on its \u201cTop 100\u201d list with $25.1 million in outstanding warrants \u2014 and pledging to The Post<\/a> that they would hunt him down and make him pay. <\/p>\n

A thank-you letter from Gov. Gavin Newsom appears on the Gordon Philanthropies Facebook page. Gordon Philanthropies\/Facebook<\/p>\n

A decade later, two active Albany County tax warrants against Gordon stand at a combined $59,141,763.16. <\/p>\n

The staggering sum is tied directly to Gordon\u2019s attempted Merrill Lynch heist, in which the then-24-year-old Yale grad famously tricked his bosses into wiring $43 million into an offshore shell company, pocketing the cash in a phony insurance deal.<\/p>\n

After Gordon was ordered in 2003 to surrender the fortune he embezzled, Uncle Sam and Albany demanded their cut, too, as stolen loot also counts as taxable income. The tab has since ballooned with compounding interest and penalties.<\/p>\n

During his 2013 bankruptcy trial, the money man admitted under oath to dodging over $34 million in back taxes and testified the IRS gave him a blunt reality check about his stolen Merrill loot despite the fact he had returned the $43 million: \u201cUnder our laws you owe us taxes \u2026 regardless of the fact that it was repaid.\u201d<\/p>\n

His criminal pleas failed to wipe the slate clean, and when tax collectors refused to back down, Gordon fled to bankruptcy court.<\/p>\n

Gordon attends the grand opening of the Malibu Conservation Camp Outdoor Educational Center in January. Gordon Philanthropies and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation celebrated the opening of the center, a safe and welcoming space for incarcerated women firefighters to connect with their children.<\/p>\n

In a blistering 2015 decision, US Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Gerber denied Gordon\u2019s bid to wipe out his personal debts in a Chapter 7 filing, ruling that the former Wall Streeter had fraudulently hidden $3.1 million in assets and lied under oath, offering excuses that \u201cinsulted the intelligence of the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the trial, it emerged that Gordon had wired $2 million to a phantom Nevada shell company with no staff, office, or ledgers. A stunned Judge Gerber also halted questioning when Gordon\u2019s lawyer confirmed he charged former New York Knicks center Eddy Curry 89.79% interest on a $570,000 loan \u2014 causing it to balloon into a $2 million debt in just 18 months.<\/p>\n

Gordon claimed during the trial he had just $3,147 to his name. Yet he admitted living in a $19,000-a-month Upper East Side apartment and dropping $140,000 on a Hamptons summer rental, hiding the city lease behind a corporate shell.<\/p>\n

Gordon\u2019s lawyer confirmed he charged former New York Knicks center Eddy Curry 89.79% interest on a $570,000 loan \u2014 causing it to balloon into a $2 million debt in just 18 months. Anthony J Causi<\/p>\n

Despite media frenzies sparked by Gordon\u2019s case, state officials still haven\u2019t filed the routine paperwork to collect Gordon\u2019s towering tax debt. That\u2019s also despite getting tipped off by a whistleblower more than two years ago, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

Leaked emails obtained by The Post reveal state investigators failed to make a move even after they were handed a detailed roadmap to more than $26 million of Gordon\u2019s alleged holdings.<\/p>\n

In March 2024, a whistleblower sent a string of tips to the Department of Taxation and Finance\u2019s internal affairs wing. The tipster, a Texas entrepreneur who requested anonymity due to death threats, has been locked in a bitter court fight with Gordon.<\/p>\n

In November 2024, Gordon got a gushing letter of praise from Gov. Newsom, which he proudly displays on his charity\u2019s Facebook page. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The whistleblower flagged \u201c$4.1mm dollars in non-exempt California Real Estate in addition to the 22mm worth of shares of stock in public companies,\u201d according to one email.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would really like the state of New York, at least, to get their money back,\u201d the tipster wrote.<\/p>\n

The tipster even pointed state investigators to an address right in their own backyard: a stock transfer agent at 1 State St. in Lower Manhattan holding shares tied to a Gordon-linked corporate vehicle.<\/p>\n

A New York tax investigator, identified in the messages only as Inv. Politylo, replied promising to \u201cforward this to the appropriate department.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon during an event at the LAPD Southeast Community Police Station last year.
\n Daniel L. Gordon, center, founder of Gordon Philanthropies, is seen in a photo posted to his organization’s website.<\/p>\n

More than two years later, however, county records show New York has yet to record a single lien against the Rancho Mirage mansion. Empire State tax warrants expire after 20 years, meaning Albany has already blown half the clock to collect.<\/p>\n

Darren Dopp, a spokesman for the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, declined to comment on what efforts the agency under Gov. Kathy Hochul has made to collect the $59.1 million, citing state tax secrecy laws.<\/p>\n

Thanks to a bureaucratic rule, New York drops deadbeats from its \u201cTop 100\u201d list if officials fail to file a fresh warrant in 12 months, Dopp said. Debtors can also drop off the list by challenging an assessment, cutting a deal, dying, or declaring bankruptcy.<\/p>\n

The $59 million black hole could be embarrassing for New York Attorney General Letitia James as fellow Dem Mayor Zohran Mamdani eyes tax hikes to pay for his tax-and-spend agenda. Stephen Yang for NY Post<\/p>\n

Edward Zelinsky, a tax professor at Yeshiva University\u2019s Cardozo School of Law, said tracking down Gordon\u2019s California assets should be straightforward for New York\u2019s top lawyers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is certainly something that should be within the routine competence of the New York attorney general, particularly for large judgments where it would be financially feasible to acquire help from counsel in the other state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James insisted the state\u2019s top prosecutor can\u2019t lift a finger unless tax officials formally hand over the file.<\/p>\n

A view of the estate located at 72743 Clancy Lane in Rancho Mirage, Calif., owned by convicted Wall Street swindler Daniel Gordon, who is dodging a $59 million New York tax bill while living in the $4 million property. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Department of Taxation and Finance is the primary enforcement agency in matters involving outstanding public tax debts unless a referral is made to the Office of the Attorney General,\u201d James spokeswoman Alexis Richards said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPer the Post\u2019s own reporting, the Department issued warrants for Mr. Gordon\u2019s state tax debts. That is the end of the story here, but unfortunately The Post seems determined to disparage the critical work the Office of the Attorney General does every day to protect New Yorkers and their wallets,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The Tax Department, for its part, claimed it never sends collection cases to James\u2019 office.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AG\u2019s office is not involved in the case,\u201d Dopp said. \u201cThe AG\u2019s office does not handle our collections matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very unusual,\u201d added Timothy Noonan, a partner at Hodgson Russ LLP. \u201cI would think a taxpayer like that would be high on the radar screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than two years later, however, county records show New York has yet to record a single lien against the Rancho Mirage mansion. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n

When tax deadbeats flee the state, tax authorities \u201ccan authorize the Attorney General to pursue collection anywhere else,\u201d Noonan said. Specifically, by \u201cdomesticating the warrant\u201d in California, Albany could turn its New York tax tab into a local court judgment overnight, freeze Gordon\u2019s bank accounts and seize his desert mansion, Noonan said.<\/p>\n

Generally, there is no law that prevents the AG and the tax department from picking up the phone to coordinate, said Steven Goldburd, a managing partner at Manhattan tax firm Goldburd McCone LLP.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernments are all about going after low-hanging fruit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is infinitely easier to attack a $2,000 tax bill of a taxpayer that will likely never fight back than the multimillion-dollar tax bill of a legally well-armed taxpayer that will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon, then 29, was sentenced to 42 months in prison for embezzling $43 million from his former employer, fined $100,000 and ordered to forfeit the money he stole. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Still, while a wealthy tax dodger can employ high-priced consultants to shield themselves from collection and delay enforcement, \u201can LLC is a legal barrier, not a magic cloak,\u201d former Manhattan DA asset forfeiture chief Duncan Levin told The Post. <\/p>\n

\u201cNew York cannot simply grab company assets to pay an owner\u2019s personal tax bill,\u201d Levin said. \u201cBut if the company is really his personal piggy bank, that barrier may come down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Levin added that Gordon\u2019s California palace could be a much easier target because it sits in his own name, though seizing real estate requires a court order.<\/p>\n

The disgraced ex-trader Gordon is pumping cash into a generic Viagra side hustle instead of paying off his $59.1 million state tax tab. PaulSat \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cA $5 million house is not a $5 million check,\u201d Levin said. \u201cThe state\u2019s job is to turn a tax warrant into a recovery. You don\u2019t collect a debt by admiring the size of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Gordon stays busy in California. Corporate filings show his charity, his penny stock outfit Polomar Health Services, and his GLD Partners investment arm all operate out of the same Los Angeles office suite.<\/p>\n

SEC records show he holds 49% voting control at Polomar, which recently spent more than $193,000 buying \u201cWafesil\u201d \u2014 a dissolving sildenafil erection drug \u2014 directly from another firm Gordon controls.<\/p>\n

Disclosures reveal Polomar has also been pushing an \u201cinhalable sildenafil\u201d program: essentially an asthma-style rescue inhaler loaded with generic Viagra.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A convicted Wall Street swindler who was named New York\u2019s No. 1 tax deadbeat a decade ago has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377760,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4241,288,2136,7022,68,396,2077,426,398,4326,57,9,24,55,54,56,24226,2780,115747,82],"class_list":["post-377759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-albany","tag-business","tag-california","tag-corruption","tag-exclusive","tag-fraud","tag-gavin-newsom","tag-kathy-hochul","tag-letitia-james","tag-merrill-lynch","tag-metro","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-tax-fraud","tag-taxes","tag-viagra","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}