The publisher of a well-known Supreme Court blog was charged on Thursday in a significant federal case involving allegations of a multimillion-dollar scheme to avoid paying income taxes. Tom Goldstein, who runs SCOTUSblog and has presented cases before the Supreme Court 44 times, is accused of utilizing funds from his law practice to settle gambling debts accrued from high-stakes poker games held in locations like Beverly Hills and Asia.
The federal indictment, which contains 22 counts, claims that Goldstein, 54, engaged in poker games that involved millions of dollars, during which he allegedly concealed his winnings, hid losses, and provided inaccurate expense reports. According to the court filings in Maryland, he is also said to have submitted misleading information to lenders while applying for a mortgage for a residence valued at $2.6 million in Washington. In these applications, Goldstein reportedly failed to disclose more than $14 million in debt.
Moreover, the indictment asserts that Goldstein’s firm compensated individuals with whom he had personal relationships, covering their salaries and health insurance, despite their minimal contribution to the firm’s operations. These accusations relate to a period from 2016 to 2022 when Goldstein frequently appeared before the Supreme Court.
For instance, in 2016, he allegedly underreported his gambling winnings by a staggering $3.9 million. The following year, upon returning from Macau, Goldstein was found with almost $1 million in cash in a duffel bag at a Washington-area airport. Although he disclosed to customs officials that the cash represented gambling proceeds, he neglected to report this income on his tax return for that year.
In 2020 and 2021, despite engaging in over $10 million in cryptocurrency transactions, Goldstein reportedly asserted on his tax returns that he had no trades to report. The attorneys representing him, John Lauro and Christopher Kise, expressed disappointment over the charges, stating that Goldstein has an excellent reputation as an attorney. They criticized the government for rushing to judgement without a thorough understanding of the case’s details and asserted their client’s intent to fight the charges vigorously, anticipating an exoneration at trial.
An online biography found on the blog indicates that Goldstein concluded his appellate advocacy career in 2023. He has also held teaching positions focused on Supreme Court advocacy at prestigious institutions such as Harvard and Stanford Law Schools.
