Supreme Court Lawyer Thomas Goldstein Convicted on Tax Evasion Charges
Thomas Goldstein, a well-known litigator in the Supreme Court and co-founder of the popular SCOTUSblog, was found guilty by a federal jury on Wednesday. The verdict came after a six-week trial in Greenbelt, Maryland, where Goldstein faced accusations related to his clandestine high-stakes poker playing.
The jury convicted Goldstein on 12 out of 16 counts, which included tax evasion, assisting in false tax return preparation, willful failure to pay taxes on time, and making false statements on loan applications. The charges arose from his failure to pay taxes on substantial gambling earnings.
Prosecutors from the Justice Department alleged that Goldstein misappropriated funds from his law firm to settle gambling debts and falsely claimed these debts as business expenses. His actions reportedly involved millions of dollars in gambling income.
Goldstein, who retired in 2023 after arguing over 40 cases before the Supreme Court, was notably part of the legal team that represented Al Gore during the contentious 2000 presidential election dispute.
The legal community in Washington, D.C., was taken aback by Goldstein’s indictment a year ago, as many were unaware of his gambling activities. Prosecutor Sean Beaty remarked during closing arguments, “He lied to everyone around him.”
In defense, attorney Jonathan Kravis argued that the government hastily concluded its investigation. He contended that any errors on Goldstein’s tax returns were unintentional. “A mistake is not a crime,” Kravis emphasized to the jurors.
Beaty, however, painted Goldstein as a “willful tax cheat,” revealing that Goldstein earned approximately $50 million from poker in 2016, with $22 million won in Asia. The evasion plan unraveled when an aggrieved gambler reported a debt owed by Goldstein to the IRS.
Goldstein’s trial featured testimony from actor Tobey Maguire, known for his role in “Spider-Man” and his own poker interests, who had previously sought Goldstein’s assistance in recouping a gambling debt from a billionaire.
Throughout the trial, Goldstein maintained his innocence, testifying that he consistently instructed his staff and accountants to handle his expenses accurately. In a 2014 email, he assured a firm employee, “we always play completely by the rules.”
Additional charges against Goldstein included misleading IRS agents and concealing gambling debts from accountants, employees, and mortgage lenders. The indictment stated that he omitted a $15 million gambling debt from loan applications while house hunting in Washington, D.C., in 2021. Kravis suggested Goldstein’s motive was to protect his wife.
