A prominent Chevy Chase attorney and co-founder of the legal news website SCOTUSblog has been sentenced to six years in federal prison after being convicted of tax crimes and mortgage fraud.
Thomas C. Goldstein, a well-known appellate attorney who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, was sentenced to 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby. The court also revoked Goldstein’s bond and ordered him into custody immediately.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Goldstein engaged in a years-long scheme between 2016 and 2024 to evade taxes, conceal millions of dollars in gambling winnings, and submit false information to mortgage lenders while purchasing a $2.6 million home in Washington, D.C.
Federal prosecutors said Goldstein, the sole owner of Goldstein & Russell, P.C., failed to pay taxes on time, assisted in preparing false tax returns for himself and his law firm, and hid millions of dollars in poker winnings from both the government and his accountants. Investigators said he diverted legal fees to pay poker-related debts, directed others to pay his creditors directly, used foreign bank accounts to channel gambling winnings, and caused personal gambling expenses to be falsely recorded as legal business expenses.
Authorities said the scheme allowed Goldstein to underreport his income while spending millions of dollars on poker, travel, luxury goods, and other personal expenses.
Prosecutors also alleged that in 2021, Goldstein submitted false mortgage applications to two lenders while seeking financing for the Washington home. According to the DOJ, he failed to disclose more than $14 million in poker-related debts, as well as unpaid federal tax liabilities, on loan applications. One of those applications resulted in a $1.98 million mortgage.
A federal jury convicted Goldstein on Feb. 25 of tax evasion, assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, willful failure to timely pay taxes, and making false statements to mortgage lenders.
In addition to the prison sentence, Goldstein was ordered to serve five years of supervised release, pay $3,103,427 in restitution, and forfeit additional assets in an amount to be determined by the court.
The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Tax Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. A mugshot was not provided by the Department of Justice.
