Thomas Goldstein, a prominent attorney who has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, was indicted Thursday by federal prosecutors in Maryland on charges of tax evasion and using his law firm’s funds to pay off millions of dollars in poker-related debt.
Goldstein, 54, is the publisher of SCOTUSblog and the founder of Goldstein & Russell, a law firm he owned exclusively from 2016 until March 2023. Over the years, he argued more than 40 cases before the Supreme Court. Outside of his legal career, Goldstein was also known for his involvement in high-stakes poker, a hobby he became drawn to after watching it on ESPN, as he shared in a 2008 Washington Post interview.
The 50-page federal indictment details Goldstein’s use of his firm’s money to cover personal gambling debts, some of which were incurred during poker games both in the U.S. and abroad. Prosecutors allege that Goldstein underreported his gambling winnings to avoid taxes and used legal fees owed to his law firm to settle his debts.
Additionally, the indictment highlights Goldstein’s relationships with at least a dozen women, to whom he allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars while still owing substantial debt to the IRS. Four of these women were employed at Goldstein’s firm in 2018, but reportedly did little to no work. Despite this, they were paid salaries and provided with health insurance, with Goldstein allegedly attempting to deduct these payments as business expenses, thereby falsely reducing his taxable income.
Goldstein’s legal representatives, John Lauro and Christopher Kise, issued a statement expressing their belief that their client would be exonerated and denouncing the charges as a “rush to judgment.” They defended his character, emphasizing his reputation as a prominent attorney.
