Lawyer Who’s Argued Dozens of Times Before Supreme Court Hit With Federal Charges

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 2, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

A lawyer who publishes a popular blog about the U.S. Supreme Court and has argued dozens of times before justices was charged on Jan. 16 with tax evasion, helping prepare false tax returns, failing to pay taxes, and making false statements.

Thomas Goldstein, a resident of Chevy Chase, Maryland, frequently played in high-stakes poker games, according to the indictment filed against him. Stakes in the games, which took place in the United States and other countries, were allegedly as high as tens of millions of dollars.

Goldstein did well, winning approximately $13.8 million in one match, $26 million in another, and $8.8 million in a third, prosecutors say.

Goldstein underreported his winnings from gambling by nearly $4 million in one year and hid additional earnings from the IRS in other years, according to the indictment, resulting in the evasion of a substantial amount of income taxes.

At the same time, Goldstein lost millions of dollars in other matches and took out various loans to fund his games, according to the indictment.

Goldstein is accused of using funds from Goldstein & Russell, the law firm that he owns, to pay gambling-related debt he owed, resulting in the firm reporting less than it actually made.

The indictment says Goldstein also became involved in relationships with more than a dozen women, transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to them and placing four of them at his firm as fake employees for the purpose of enabling them to receive health insurance.

Goldstein also allegedly did not pay, from 2016 through 2021, with the exception of 2018, taxes that he owed on income he did report, while allegedly spending millions of dollars on travel, vacation rentals, luxury goods, and his gambling debts.

Goldstein was also charged with making false statements because authorities say he submitted mortgage applications seeking money from lending companies to buy a $2.6 million home in Washington and omitted liabilities, including the taxes he owed to the IRS, from his applications.

Goldstein faces significant prison time, including up to 30 years for each of three counts of making false statements to mortgage lenders.

Goldstein publishes SCOTUSblog, a popular blog covering the U.S. Supreme Court. He has argued 44 cases before the nation’s top court, including a 2020 case on behalf of Google.

Lawyers for Goldstein told news outlets in a statement: “Mr. Goldstein is a prominent attorney with an impeccable reputation. We are deeply disappointed that the government brought these charges in a rush to judgment without understanding all of the important facts. Our client intends to vigorously contest these charges and we expect he will be exonerated at trial.”