Poker-playing former US Supreme Court litigator Tom Goldstein has been found guilty of 12 of 16 counts following a six week trial in Maryland.
Jurors returned their verdict late on Wednesday following two and a half days of deliberations.
Goldstein was found guilty on one count of tax evasion, one count each of willful failure to timely pay taxes for four tax years, three counts of making a false statement on a loan application, and four out of eight counts of aiding and assisting in preparation of a false tax return. He was found not guilty on the other four counts.
The convictions for making a false statement on a loan application carry the heftiest potential penalties—a maximum of 30 years for each count. He also faces a maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment for tax evasion, three years for each count of assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, and one year on each count of willful failure to pay taxes.
Goldstein was indicted in January 2025. The jurors—seven men and five women—heard 15 days of evidence over 6 weeks, featuring a day and a half of testimony from Goldstein in his own defense.
Goldstein denied that he ever willfully cheated on his taxes, blaming any errors on his returns on his staff and outside accountants. He also testified that he never thought he could be criminally prosecuted for failing to pay his taxes on time after filing a return and entering into a payment plan.
The jury phase of the trial isn’t quite over yet. Goldstein has asked to have the jury decide whether he must forfeit his Washington, DC home. The issue was put off while it deliberated the counts of making a false statement to a lender.
Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby presided over the trial in the US District Court for the District of Maryland.
The case is United States v. Goldstein, D. Md., No. 8:25-cr-00006, verdict returned 2/25/26.
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