Tom Goldstein’s last few years were really something.
The post SCOTUSblog Founder Indicted In Wild Poker-Fueled Tax Case appeared first on Above the Law.
(image via Getty)
The last time we heard from SCOTUSblog co-founder and veteran Supreme Court litigator Tom Goldstein, he was explaining why Donald Trump should be excused from all his criminal cases because winning the electoral college is basically the same as a New York state law acquittal. It seems as though Goldstein might have had some extra motivation to curry favor with Trump now that it’s come to light that the federal government has been looking into Goldstein for tax evasion and loan fraud resulting in an indictment dropping this afternoon.
Where to even begin with this thing? It’s really like Rounders in reverse except Teddy KGB has names like “California Businessman-1” and “Law Firm-2.”
Over the course of several years, the indictment says that Goldstein racked up big winnings and bigger losses in high-stakes underground domestic and international poker matches. By the time of the alleged loan fraud, the feds say Goldstein was around $16 million in the hole and failing to disclose that. And while he didn’t report all his gambling income, a good deal of the tax problems revolve around using the firm, Goldstein & Russell, as a piggy bank to move money from firm coffers to pay personal gambling debts.
And, just for good measure, the indictment includes some extra personal and financial shenanigans:
Paying four affairs while working with your wife… gotta say this has a real “Behind The Music” feel to it and man there are some storm clouds are on the horizon here.
Also, the infamous if apocryphal Biglaw memo where a partner asked a young lawyer to write a lengthy memo of local lunch options is now officially the second most lawyerly nonsense memo ever:
You can check out my liveblog of my initial reading of the indictment here.
Across 50 pages, the indictment describes heads up games in Macau, interfirm deals to use fees to offset debts, helping an actor get a Texas billionaire to pay up, using a litigation funder to cover losses, and crossing the border with a duffel bag filled with $968,000.
And here we thought writing comical letters to porn stars threatening to sue was Goldstein’s wild side.
(Check out the whole indictment on the next page…)
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
