Five months after being found guilty of tax crimes stemming from high-stakes poker matches, former superstar lawyer Tom Goldstein was sentenced to six years in federal prison on Friday.
According to Bloomberg Law, which first reported Goldstein’s sentencing, Goldstein was also ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution and be on supervised release for five years.
Goldstein’s sentencing caps off a saga that has captivated the gambling and legal worlds. His high-profile trial focused on ultra-high-stakes poker matches from Asia to Hollywood that regularly saw Goldstein winning and losing millions, and featured testimony from the likes of billionaire Alec Gores and Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire.
In February, jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland found Goldstein, 56, guilty on 12 of 16 charges, including one count of tax evasion, four counts of willful failure to timely pay taxes, three counts of making false statements to mortgage lenders, and four of eight counts of aiding and assisting in preparation of a false tax return.
Tom Goldstein Found Guilty on 12 Counts in Poker-Related Tax Trial
Goldstein Won Millions in High-Stakes Poker Matches
Goldstein, the founder of SCOTUSblog, was one of the most prominent attorneys in the country, regularly arguing before the US Supreme Court and teaching at elite universities. But out of the courtroom, he was an ultra-high-stakes poker player, taking part in heads-up matches around the world that saw him winning $50 million in 2016 alone.
Goldstein, who was coached by poker pros Andrew Robl and Keith Gipson, took on a wealthy lineup of opponents that included billionaires Alec Gores and Andy Beal — a duo he won $77 million off of — and unnamed Asian gamblers “Tango” and “Chairman,” who Goldstein took for $23 million.
Goldstein also had his share of losses, including $14 million to American real estate mogul Bob Safai.
Goldstein’s lavish life as a high-stakes poker player, put on display during the trial, had made-for-TV moments. He was “best friends” with controversial social media playboy Dan Bilzerian, played poker at Kevin Hart’s birthday bash in Mykonos, Greece, and represented Tobey Maguire when the actor chased a $7.8 million poker debt from Andy Beal.
A “secret” poker ledger brought up during the trial revealed Goldstein’s other opponents, including poker legend Dan “Jungleman” Cates and billionaire Silicon Valley investor Chamath Palihapitiya.
Prosecutors alleged Goldstein intentionally hid his millions in poker winnings from accountants, while Goldstein has maintained his innocence and said he always intended on paying his owed taxes.
Goldstein put up a powerful legal defense that saw him requesting a full acquittal or outright new trial. He also retained a top-notch legal team, including ex-U.S. solicitor general Elizabeth Prelogar.
In June, US District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby denied Goldstein’s bid for a new trial, arguing that “that this was not a close case” and noting that “the Jury never indicated during its two-day deliberations that it was struggling to reach a verdict in this case.”
“The Court is satisfied that the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to sustain a conviction under both of the challenged theories of tax evasion,” Judge Griggsby wrote on June 22.
And then in a sentencing hearing today, Judge Griggsby sentenced Goldstein to six years in federal prison.
Goldstein faced up to 30 years on each count of making false statements to mortgage lenders alone. Prosecutors, who argued that Goldstein was a flight risk and asked the court to detain him pending sentencing, sought an eight-year prison sentence $3.1 million fine for restitution.
After his conviction in February, a white-collar criminal defense attorney told PokerNews he expected Goldstein to receive a sentence of a few years.
“I think it’s very likely he may get a few years in jail. Nowhere close to 30 years,” Andrew Bernstein of Fox Rothschild said in February.
Goldstein isn’t done fighting. On Wednesday, Goldstein’s attorney’s filed a motion for his release pending appeal, noting that “he intends to appeal that decision on an expedited basis to the Fourth Circuit.”
Alternatively, Goldstein moved to postpone his surrender date.
Tom Goldstein Won $51 Million Against Billionaire Heads-Up Legend Andy Beal
Connor Richards
Senior Editor U.S.