Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 24
Supreme Court Litigator Goldstein Gets 6 Years for $9.5 Million Tax Evasion and Mortgage Fraud
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Jul 24

Supreme Court Litigator Goldstein Gets 6 Years for $9.5 Million Tax Evasion and Mortgage Fraud

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 24

Summary

  • A Maryland judge sentenced Supreme Court litigator Tom Goldstein to six years in prison after jurors convicted him in February on 12 of 16 counts, including tax evasion, false tax returns and mortgage fraud.
  • Prosecutors said Goldstein concealed more than $25 million in income from 2016 to 2023, leaving the federal government more than $9.5 million in unpaid taxes while funding a lavish lifestyle and high-stakes poker gambling.
  • A six-week trial in Greenbelt included testimony from actor and poker player Tobey Maguire, who said Goldstein helped recover a gambling debt from a billionaire.
  • Defense lawyers had urged no prison time, arguing treatment for severe gambling addiction and the ability to repay debts would better serve the case, but Goldstein still insists his conduct was not illegal.

Insights

Will a top lawyer's prison sentence for tax evasion expose the dark, high-stakes gambling rings favored by Washington elites and celebrities?
How did a brilliant Supreme Court litigator manage to hide millions and a catastrophic gambling addiction from his own prestigious law firm?
At what point does a debilitating gambling addiction legally cross the line into calculated, multi-million dollar mortgage fraud and tax evasion?