Supreme Court Litigator and SCOTUSblog Founder Convicted of Tax Evasion

A co-founder of the SCOTUSblog website and former Supreme Court litigator was convicted Wednesday on tax evasion and other charges by a jury in Maryland, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Thomas Goldstein, 55, was found guilty of tax evasion, assisting with preparing false tax returns, willfully failing to timely pay taxes, and making false statements to mortgage lenders. Prosecutors said some of the charges stemmed from him concealing millions of dollars in high-stakes poker wins and losses from the government.

A federal jury found Goldstein guilty of 12 of 16 counts after a six-week trial in Greenbelt, Maryland. Jurors deliberated for approximately two days before convicting Goldstein.

“He also diverted legal fees, payable to his law firm, to his personal bank account to satisfy poker-related debts; directed people to pay his creditors instead of sending payments directly to him; and used the law firm’s assets to satisfy his poker debts,” the DOJ said in a news release about his conviction.

Some of the payments were classified as a legal fee for his law firm’s records, while he under-reported his income and did not pay taxes he owed to the government, the DOJ said. Instead, according to the department, he spent his millions on travel, luxury goods, and poker games.

Goldstein argued more than 40 cases before the Supreme Court before retiring in 2023. He was part of the legal team that represented Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in the Supreme Court litigation over the 2000 election that was ultimately won by Republican George W. Bush.

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 in court.

Goldstein, who testified in his own defense, also denied any wrongdoing. He has said he repeatedly instructed his law firm’s staff and accountants to correctly characterize his personal expenses.

Prosecutors said that he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years for each count of making false statements to mortgage lenders, five years in prison on the tax evasion charge, three years for each count of helping to prepare false tax returns, and one year for each count of willful failure to pay taxes.

“Goldstein chose fraud and deceit over honesty and tried to cheat the American taxpayer while living a lavish lifestyle. He gambled that he wouldn’t get caught–and that gamble did not pay off,” Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. attorney for the District of Maryland, said in a statement. “Our office, along with our law-enforcement partners, is committed to holding those accountable who break the law–no matter who they are.”

SCOTUSblog, a news website that reports on Supreme Court cases, was founded by Goldstein and his wife, Amy Howe, in 2002. Currently, Goldstein is not listed on the website as a co-founder.

Howe, who is listed as the blog’s leader on the website, was not charged in connection to the case.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.