Tom Goldstein Just Lost the Case of His Life

"For those of us who are his friends and supporters, this is the verdict we've been dreading. I thought Tom had a pretty good defense - claiming that the mistakes on his tax filings were by his accountant and that they were unintentional. But it was a bit of a long shot."

"The mistakes, responsibility for those tax years is mine. It's just very different from whether I committed a crime. Goldstein argued during trial that while he bore responsibility for tax filing errors, this did not constitute criminal conduct, maintaining his defense centered on unintentional mistakes rather than deliberate fraud."

Tom Goldstein, a prominent Supreme Court attorney and avid poker player, was found guilty on 12 of 16 federal charges including tax evasion, false loan statements, and aiding in preparation of false tax returns. The conviction stemmed from a years-long scheme to conceal millions in poker winnings from his wife, law firm, mortgage lenders, and the IRS. During the seven-week trial, Goldstein's defense team argued the tax filing errors were unintentional mistakes made by him and his accountant. Prosecutors countered that Goldstein's legal expertise made intentional fraud more likely. The jury deliberated for three days before reaching their guilty verdict.

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