U.S. District Judge Lydia Griggsby sentenced attorney Tom Goldstein to six years in federal prison on Friday for tax and financial crimes. The sentencing followed a February conviction on charges including failure to report millions of dollars in poker winnings, providing false information on mortgage loan applications, and making improper payments through his law firm, Goldstein & Russell.
Prosecutors had requested a sentence of more than eight years and $3.1 million in restitution, while Goldstein’s defense team requested a sentence of supervision. Judge Griggsby ordered Goldstein to surrender immediately, stating that the evidence showed he willfully violated tax obligations and that his planned appeal was unlikely to succeed. Goldstein expressed regret during the hearing but requested to surrender voluntarily, a motion the judge denied.
Goldstein was a prominent appellate lawyer who argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court before his retirement in 2023. He also co-founded SCOTUSblog, a legal news website. The federal charges, filed in early 2025, alleged that Goldstein concealed financial gains and losses related to high-stakes poker games played in the United States and abroad. Goldstein has stated he intends to appeal the conviction to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.