Date of Publication: February 26, 2026, 05:04h.
Updated on: February 26, 2026, 05:04h.
- Supreme Court attorney found guilty of tax fraud
- Secret high-stakes poker games kept hidden from the IRS, say prosecutors
- Goldstein could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years
Tom Goldstein, a notable attorney who has represented cases before the US Supreme Court, was found guilty by a federal jury in Maryland on Wednesday for evading substantial tax liabilities and falsifying mortgage applications.
Prosecutors argued that the 56-year-old attempted to disguise his gambling activities from both the IRS and mortgage lenders. Since 2016, he has been involved in high-stakes poker with millions won and lost in elite matches.
Goldstein pleaded not guilty to all allegations, asserting that he managed his finances responsibly. He attributed any discrepancies in his tax reporting to errors by himself, his accountant, or managerial staff.
“I accept full responsibility for any mistakes in those tax years. I might be paying for this for a long while,” Goldstein stated during the trial. “That’s my obligation. However, it is completely different from the question of whether I committed a crime.”
‘The Sharpest Mind in the Room’
Nevertheless, the notion that a detail-oriented lawyer—who has represented over 40 cases before the Supreme Court—could be so careless was too much for the jury to believe. Goldstein was convicted on 12 of the 16 charges laid against him.
“Mr. Goldstein is likely the most intelligent individual in this courtroom,” prosecutor Sean Beaty remarked during his closing statements. “Intelligent individuals typically do not document their tax fraud. They disguise it in the details. The crime, in essence, is the concealment.”
Goldstein’s legal career included high-profile cases, such as advocating for Al Gore during the Supreme Court proceedings in the contentious Bush v. Gore case post the 2000 presidential election. He also successfully represented Google in its copyright battle against Oracle in 2021.
As a poker enthusiast, he managed to keep a low profile but was actively involved in “ultra-high-stakes” games, often engaging in matches with total stakes reaching millions—even tens of millions—both in the U.S. and internationally, as indicated in court documents.
Poker Frenzy
In 2016, Goldstein netted $26.4 million in a series of head-to-head matches against a businessman from Beverly Hills. While not named in the indictment, Goldstein later revealed in an interview with The New York Times that this individual was Alec Gores, the billionaire founder of the Gores Group.
During the same year, he recorded impressive wins in the Philippines, taking home $13.8 million from a gambler known as “Tango” and $9.96 million from a player referred to as “The Chairman.” The overall winnings from these games amounted to approximately $50 million, even though Goldstein had offloaded 75% of his stake.
When presented with the opportunity to compete against U.S. real estate investor and private equity visionary Bob Safai, Goldstein decided to fully back himself, ultimately incurring a loss of $14 million.
At the time of his arrest, he was engaged in a protracted series of high-stakes matches against billionaire banker and renowned poker player Andy Beal, with Goldstein reportedly ahead by a staggering $51.4 million.
However, on Wednesday, he suffered a significant defeat as he lost his most crucial case to date—now facing a potential prison term of up to 30 years. U.S. prosecutors announced on Thursday, without elaborating, that they plan to request his detention until sentencing, citing previous concerns he may pose a flight risk.