Supreme Court Litigator Found Guilty of Tax Evasion
Thomas Goldstein, a prominent Supreme Court litigator and co-founder of SCOTUSblog, has been convicted by a federal jury for failing to report taxes on substantial gambling income earned as a high-stakes poker player.
Goldstein, who was part of the legal team representing Al Gore in the Supreme Court’s 2000 election dispute, was found guilty on 12 of 16 counts after a lengthy six-week trial in Maryland. The jury delivered its verdict on Wednesday.
During the trial, Justice Department prosecutor Sean Beatty remarked in his closing arguments, “He lied to everyone around him,” emphasizing how Goldstein’s actions exemplified a “classic tax evasion scheme,” which he executed nearly flawlessly.
After deliberating for roughly two days, the jurors convicted Goldstein on one count of tax evasion, along with multiple other counts related to false tax returns and loan applications. Prosecutors also accused him of using funds from his law firm to cover gambling debts and of incorrectly listing those debts as business expenses.
Although Goldstein claimed he made “innocent mistakes” on his tax forms, his lawyer, Jonathan Kravis, insisted he didn’t engage in any intentional wrongdoing. “Mistakes are not crimes,” he argued, alleging that a hasty government investigation led to the charges.
In 2016 alone, Goldstein reportedly won around $50 million from poker, including a significant $22 million from games in Asia. This scheme reportedly unraveled after a fellow gambler, claiming fraud, reported a debt to Goldstein to the IRS.
The trial also featured testimony from actor Tobey Maguire, known for his role in “Spider-Man.” Maguire, an avid poker player, sought Goldstein’s assistance in reclaiming a gambling debt owed by a millionaire.
Goldstein maintained his defense by stating he had instructed his staff to monitor his personal finances closely. Nevertheless, he faced further allegations of deceiving IRS officials and not disclosing large gambling debts during a home search in Washington, D.C., in 2021. Specifically, he allegedly failed to reveal $15 million in gambling debt on his mortgage application.
