Supreme Court attorney now repped by Trump lawyers failed to report millions in poker winnings

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Law & Crime

Jan 19th, 2025, 5:48 pm


A lawyer known for handling high-profile cases and co-founding the popular Supreme Court news and analysis site SCOTUSblog has been indicted on federal tax evasion charges for allegedly failing to report millions of dollars that he won gambling in high-stakes poker matches, according to federal prosecutors. The attorney, Tom Goldstein, is also accused of using his former law firm’s assets to “satisfy” gambling debts.

“Between 2016 and 2022, Goldstein engaged in a scheme to evade the assessment of taxes, file false tax returns and fail to pay his tax obligations when they were due,” the Department of Justice alleges in Goldstein’s 22-count indictment filed in the District of Maryland last week.

Goldstein, 54, has been part of more than 40 cases in front of the Supreme Court, including the 2000 presidential election battle between Al Gore — his client — and George W. Bush. He co-founded SCOTUSblog with his wife, Amy Howe, in 2002 and stepped away from his old firm, Goldstein & Russell P.C., in 2023 after announcing that he was retiring.

“Thomas C. Goldstein, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., was the sole owner of Goldstein & Russell P.C., a boutique law firm specializing in appellate litigation, including litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court,” DOJ prosecutors state in a Jan. 16 press release. “Goldstein was allegedly also a high-stakes poker player, frequently playing in games involving millions of dollars.”

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/ultrahigh-stakes-supreme-court-attorney-now-repped-by-trump-lawyers-failed-to-report-millions-in-poker-winnings-and-used-law-firms-assets-to-satisfy-gambling-debts-doj-says/

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Full headline: ‘Ultrahigh-stakes’: Supreme Court attorney now repped by Trump lawyers failed to report millions in poker winnings and used law firm’s assets to ‘satisfy’ gambling debts, DOJ says

Link to DOJ FILING (PDF) - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.574550/gov.uscourts.mdd.574550.1.0_1.pdf

Saw something about this earlier. This is a shame. Many of us use SCOTUSBlog as an invaluable resource for the live-blogging of SCOTUS sessions and linking to the rulings. I'm sure Amy will carry on!

[brush]

1. Even SCOTUS' lawyers are corrupt. Typical. Is there a rethug who isn't? Doesn't seem so.

[FBaggins]

2. Two facts to add

1 - It’s interesting to see “now repped by Trump lawyers” in the title. This is bound to cause some assumptions (“he must be MAGA”)… when it’s also true that he was Tribe’s co-counsel in Bush v. Gore

2 - Amy is his wife.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Anyone reading beyond the headline and looking at the excerpt

would have seen this -

Goldstein, 54, has been part of more than 40 cases in front of the Supreme Court, including the 2000 presidential election battle between Al Gore — his client — and George W. Bush.

But since 45 is obviously "in the news", his stable of lawyers currently being used (or who have been used in the past) would most likely still be considered "newsworthy" regardless of who they represented over their careers.

[Deminpenn]

3. May be high profile, but not the first or last to get into trouble because of gambling

nt