SCOTUSblog.com writer Tom Goldstein poses for a photo in front of the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 31, 2013, in Washington.
Alex Brandon | Associated Press
a top Supreme Court An attorney who co-founded a popular blog about the high court was indicted in Maryland on Thursday. federal tax evasion charges He allegedly failed to declare millions of dollars in poker winnings and used company funds to pay off gambling debts.
Supreme Court Blog Publisher Tom Goldstein, who was also charged with making false statements to two mortgage lenders, has appeared before the Supreme Court more than almost any other lawyer in modern private practice.
Goldstein, 54, formerly taught at Harvard Law School and was one of several lawyers who represented then-Vice President Al Gore in the Supreme Court case Bush v. Gore, a controversial 2000 case. The counting of votes in Florida was halted in the 2016 presidential election. He also represented Google before the Supreme Court.
In November, Goldstein wrote new york times Guest post calling for an end to criminal cases against the president-elect Donald Trump.
According to the 22-count indictment against Goldstein, Goldstein is also “an ultra-high-stakes power player who regularly competes in tournaments or series of tournaments in the United States and abroad involving stakes totaling millions or even tens of millions of dollars.” .
The indictment alleges that he misappropriated legal fees owed by his law firm to pay off poker-related debts.
The indictment also alleges that from 2016 to 2022, Goldstein engaged in or pursued intimate relationships with at least a dozen women and paid for travel and other expenses for many of them while “owing substantial amounts of money to the IRS.”
Four of the women were allegedly employed by his Goldstein & Russell law firm in Bethesda, Maryland, and received health benefits but “performed little or no work for the firm,” according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges that Goldstein used more than $1.1 million in company funds in 2016 to pay off personal debts, including gambling debts owed to poker players.
He also allegedly underreported gambling income by more than $3.9 million on his 2016 federal tax return and by more than $3.4 million on his 2017 tax return.
Goldstein also allegedly “submitted false mortgage loan applications to two independent mortgage companies seeking financing to purchase a $2.6 million home in Washington, D.C., in 2021,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland.
“In those mortgage applications – which required Goldstein to list all of his liabilities and debts – Goldstein allegedly left out millions of dollars in liabilities, including more than $14 million he owed on two promissory notes at the time. dollars, as well as the amount of taxes he owes the IRS,” the office said. “Goldstein allegedly made false statements to one of the mortgage lenders, which resulted in him obtaining a $1.98 million loan.”
CNBC has reached out to Goldstein for comment.
