A Chevy Chase appellate attorney who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, who is also a co-founder of the Scotusblog, has been found guilty of tax evasion–hiding millions of dollars in gambling income and debts, according to prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland.
Thomas Goldstein, 55, was convicted by a federal jury of assisting with preparing false tax returns and willfully failing to timely pay taxes and making false statements to mortgage lenders to fund a gambling habit, in addition to tax evasion.
“Goldstein chose fraud and deceit over honesty and tried to cheat the American taxpayer while living a lavish lifestyle. He gambled that he wouldn’t get caught, and that gamble did not pay off,” said Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, in a statement.
Between 2016 and 2023, Goldstein served as sole owner of Goldstein & Russell, P.C., a boutique law firm specializing in appellate litigation, which brought some of his cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Goldstein was also a high-stakes poker player, frequently playing in games involving tens of millions of dollars, according to evidence presented at trial.
During that time, Goldstein stopped paying taxes on time. He concealed poker wins and losses from the government and spent millions on personal expenses such as travel and luxury goods, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Mr. Goldstein is a sophisticated attorney who concealed millions of dollars in income, manipulated his law firm’s books and deceived lenders, all to fund his gambling and lifestyle,” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said.
In 2021, Goldstein submitted false mortgage applications to two separate mortgage lending companies, seeking financing to purchase a $2.6-million home in Washington, D.C. On those mortgage applications, Goldstein did not report more than $14 million he owed at the time on two promissory notes, as well as taxes he owed the IRS, in addition to millions more dollars that went unreported. His false statements to one of the mortgage lenders enabled him to obtain a $1.98-million loan, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“He also diverted legal fees, payable to his law firm, to his personal bank account to satisfy poker-related debts; directed people to pay his creditors instead of sending payments directly to him; and used the law firm’s assets to satisfy his poker debts. Then he caused those payments to be falsely classified as “legal-fee” expenses on the firm’s books and records. As a result, Goldstein underreported his income and did not pay all the taxes that he owed,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for tax evasion, three years for each count of helping to prepare false tax returns, one year for each count of willful failure to pay taxes, and 30 years for each count of making false statements to mortgage lenders.
A federal jury convicted a prominent appellate attorney who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and co-founded the widely read legal website SCOTUSblog, of tax and mortgage fraud.
Announced with @DOJCrimDiv @IRS_CI @FBIWFO
Learn more at… pic.twitter.com/gO7RPwzdvU
— US Attorney Maryland (@USAO_MD) February 26, 2026
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