GREENBELT, Md. — A well-known attorney who argued dozens of cases before the U.S. Supreme Court has been found guilty of hiding millions in poker winnings from federal tax authorities.
Thomas Goldstein, who helped create the widely-read SCOTUSblog and built a career representing clients before the nation’s top court, was convicted Wednesday on 12 of 16 criminal charges following a six-week federal trial. The jury spent roughly two days deliberating before finding him guilty of tax evasion, assisting in filing fraudulent tax documents, deliberately failing to pay taxes on time, and making false statements on loan paperwork.
Federal prosecutors alleged Goldstein concealed millions in gambling earnings while operating as a secretive high-stakes poker participant. They also claimed he took money from his legal practice to settle gambling obligations and incorrectly claimed poker losses as legitimate business write-offs.
Before stepping away from practice in 2023, Goldstein had presented more than 40 cases to the Supreme Court, including serving on the legal team that defended Democrat Al Gore during the contested 2000 presidential election that ultimately went to Republican George W. Bush.
When charges were filed against Goldstein last year, the news stunned Washington’s legal establishment. Many professional associates were unaware of the scope of his gambling activities.
During final arguments, Justice Department attorney Sean Beaty told the jury: “He lied to everyone around him.”
Goldstein’s defense lawyer Jonathan Kravis maintained that federal investigators acted hastily and conducted an insufficient investigation. He argued his client committed unintentional errors on tax filings rather than deliberately cheating the system or knowingly providing false information.
“A mistake is not a crime,” Kravis stated to jurors.
Prosecutor Beaty characterized Goldstein as a “willful tax cheat.” According to Beaty’s presentation, Goldstein earned roughly $50 million from poker during 2016 alone, with about $22 million coming from games played in Asia. The prosecution said the tax fraud scheme unraveled when another poker player, upset with Goldstein over money matters, contacted the IRS about a 2016 debt involving the attorney.
“It was a textbook tax-evasion scheme,” Beaty declared. “And Mr. Goldstein executed that nearly flawlessly.”
The trial, which began January 12, featured unusual testimony from actor Tobey Maguire, known for his “Spider-Man” roles and serious poker playing, who had sought Goldstein’s legal assistance in collecting a gambling debt from a wealthy individual.
Taking the witness stand in his own defense, Goldstein maintained his innocence. He claimed he consistently directed his law firm’s personnel and accounting professionals to properly categorize his personal expenditures. In a 2014 electronic message, he informed a firm worker that “we always play completely by the rules.”
Additional allegations against Goldstein included deceiving IRS investigators and concealing his gambling obligations from accountants, staff members, and mortgage companies. When he and his wife searched for a Washington, D.C. residence in 2021, he allegedly left out a $15 million gambling debt from mortgage application documents.
“He was thinking only of his wife when he left off the gambling debts,” defense attorney Kravis explained.
