Thomas Goldstein, a Supreme Court litigator and co-founder of SCOTUSblog, poses for a photograph in front of the Supreme Court in October 2013. (Alex Brandon/AP)
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.
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.
His defense attorney, Jonathan Kravis, told jurors that Goldstein made "innocent mistakes" on his tax returns but didn’t cheat on his taxes or knowingly make false statements on his tax returns, according to The Associated Press.
"A mistake is not a crime," Kravis said, claiming the government rushed to judgment and failed to adequately investigate the case.
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.
TRUMP UN AVIATION AMBASSADOR PICK FACES SCRUTINY AFTER $426K TAX LIENS MISSING FROM ETHICS FILING
Thomas Goldstein, a top U.S. Supreme Court attorney and former publisher of the SCOTUSblog news website, arrives for jury selection in his trial on charges of tax fraud, at U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, on Jan. 13, 2026. (Leah Millis/Reuters)
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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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-litigator-convicted-tax-evasion