Litigator six years for tax evasion and mortgage fraud

Thomas Goldstein, a prominent Supreme Court litigator who argued more than 40 cases before the nation's highest court, was sentenced on Friday, July 24, 2026, to six years in federal prison for tax evasion and mortgage fraud. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby handed down the sentence in Greenbelt, Maryland, ordering Goldstein to also serve five years of supervised release and pay more than $3.1 million in restitution.

Goldstein, 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was convicted by a jury in February on 12 of 16 counts, including tax evasion, willful failure to pay taxes, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, and mortgage fraud. Prosecutors said he concealed more than $25 million in income between 2016 and 2023, depriving the federal government of over $9.5 million in unpaid taxes.

The case revealed Goldstein's secret life as a high-stakes poker player. Prosecutors alleged he funneled gambling income through offshore bank accounts, diverted money from his law firm to cover poker debts, and falsely deducted those debts as business expenses. He also lied to IRS agents and kept his accountants and employees in the dark about the scale of his gambling, according to court...