Maryland
Maryland litigator convicted of tax evasion over income from high-stakes poker
MARYLAND (WBFF) — A prominent Supreme Court litigator who also published a popular blog about the nation’s highest court was convicted Wednesday of tax evasion and related charges stemming from his secretive lifestyle as an ultra-high-stakes poker player.
A federal jury found SCOTUSblog co-founder Thomas Goldstein guilty of 12 of 16 counts after a six-week trial in Greenbelt, Maryland. Jurors deliberated for approximately two days before convicting Goldstein of one count of tax evasion, four of eight counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, four counts of willful failure to timely pay taxes, and three counts of false statements on loan applications.
Goldstein was charged with failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars in gambling income. Justice Department prosecutors also accused him of diverting money from his law firm to pay gambling debts and falsely deducting gambling debts as business expenses.
Goldstein argued more than 40 cases before the Supreme Court before retiring in 2023. He was part of the legal team that represented Democrat Al Gore in the Supreme Court litigation over the 2000 election ultimately won by Republican President George W. Bush.
Goldstein’s indictment a year ago sent shockwaves through the legal community in Washington, D.C. Many friends and colleagues didn’t know the extent of his gambling.
“He lied to everyone around him,” Justice Department prosecutor Sean Beaty said during the trial’s closing arguments.
Defense attorney Jonathan Kravis said the government rushed to judgment and failed to adequately investigate the case. Goldstein made “innocent mistakes” on his tax returns but didn’t cheat on his taxes or knowingly make false statements on his tax returns, Kravis told jurors.
“A mistake is not a crime,” he said.
Beaty described Goldstein as a “willful tax cheat.” Goldstein raked in approximately $50 million in poker winnings in 2016, including roughly $22 million that he won playing in Asia, according to Beaty. The prosecutor said the tax evasion scheme “fell apart” when another gambler, feeling cheated by Goldstein, notified the IRS about a 2016 debt owed to the attorney.
“It was a textbook tax-evasion scheme,” Beaty said. “And Mr. Goldstein executed that nearly flawlessly.”
The trial, which started Jan. 12, included testimony by “Spider-Man” star Tobey Maguire, an avid poker player who enlisted Goldstein’s help in recovering a gambling debt from a billionaire.
Goldstein, who testified in his own defense, denied any wrongdoing. He has said he repeatedly instructed his law firm’s staff and accountants to correctly characterize his personal expenses. In a 2014 email, he told a firm employee that “we always play completely by the rules.”
Goldstein also was accused of lying to IRS agents and hiding his gambling debts from his accountants, employees and mortgage lenders. He omitted a $15 million gambling debt from mortgage loan applications while looking for a new home in Washington, D.C., with his wife in 2021, his indictment alleges.
“He was thinking only of his wife when he left off the gambling debts,” Kravis said.
Apple Towson Town Center employees received an endorsement from Maryland Governor Wes Moore in their fight against Apple over the company’s decision to close its first US unionized store. Here are the details.
Apple faces new pressure over Towson store closure
A couple of months ago, Apple announced that its Towson Town Center would close its doors for good on June 20, alongside two other stores located in commercial centers in California and Connecticut.
The Apple Towson Town Center workers have been represented by the IAM Union since 2022, after becoming the first Apple retail store in the US to unionize.
Soon after the announcement, IAM Union decried Apple’s handling of the store closure. While the company says that the union agreement only requires transfers within 50 miles of the Towson store, with severance offered otherwise, the IAM Union argues that Apple is denying them the broader relocation options available to employees at non-union stores.
Since then, in addition to the pushback from the IAM Union, Apple has also received letters from Maryland lawmakers and, just yesterday, from40 members of Congress, asking it to reconsider closing the store or to provide Towson employees with the same transfer opportunities offered to workers at non-union stores.
Today, Maryland Governor Wes Moore chimed in, manifesting his support for the Towson workers.
Although Governor Moore stopped short of accusing Apple of union-busting practices, as members of Congress did in their letter to the company, he did explicitly call on Apple to give Towson workers the same transfer rights and opportunities afforded to other employees.
Here’s Governor Moore’s statement:
“The Towson Town Center Apple Store has been a retail anchor for the region since 2022. (…) It’s provided good-paying jobs, increased economic activity, and been an important localized service hub for the region. As the first unionized Apple retail store in the country and a strong-performing location, its workers proved that economic growth and workers’ rights go hand-in-hand. Now, the rug is being pulled out from underneath them. These Marylanders deserve the same transfer rights and opportunities afforded to other Apple employees, and we stand with them.”
The IAM Union praised Governor Moore’s support and called on the company to act before the June 20 deadline.
Apple, for its part, remains silent on the issue, ever since it provided the following statement to 9to5Mac when the IAM Union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on April 28:
We strongly disagree with the claims made, and we will continue to abide by the agreement that was negotiated and agreed with the union. We look forward to presenting all of the facts to the NLRB.
As of right now, the Apple Towson Town Center’s page says the store will close on June 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Worth checking out on Amazon
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Republican candidate Mariela Roca is making another play for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District. On The Final 5 with Jim Lokay, she talks about her campaign ahead of the June primary, and the lessons she’s learned on the campaign trail.
Baltimore Sun co-owner Armstrong Williams held a town hall to discuss juvenile justice in Maryland.
Williams was joined by a panel featuring DJS Chair Betsy Tolentino, City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, and Todd Scott, the founder of ‘We Rise.’
There was also a studio audience of teen “success stories.”
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
You can watch the full Town Hall above.
-
Ohio2 minutes agoU20 World Team decided at U20 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio – WIN Magazine
-
Oklahoma9 minutes agoOklahoma data center boom sparks backlash as Yukon leaders, residents raise concerns
-
Oregon12 minutes agoTimeline video traces SB 1008’s impact on Oregon juvenile justice, viewers can watch now
-
Pennsylvania17 minutes ago1 dead, 2 hospitalized after crash in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, police say
-
Rhode Island24 minutes agoRIIL title-game spots were on the line Tuesday. Here’s who earned them.
-
South-Carolina27 minutes agoSouth Carolina Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for June 2, 2026
-
South Dakota39 minutes agoRepublican businessman Toby Doeden advances to primary runoff in South Dakota governor’s race
-
Tennessee42 minutes ago
TN Lottery Mega Millions, Cash 3 Morning winning numbers for June 2, 2026
