A federal grand jury in Greenbelt, Maryland, today returned a 22-count indictment, charging a Maryland attorney with tax evasion, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, non-payment of taxes and misrepresentations to two separate mortgage lenders.
According to the indictment, between 2016 and 2023, Thomas C. Goldstein, of Chevy Chase, Maryland and Washington, D.C., was the sole owner of Goldstein & Russell PC, a law firm specializing in appellate litigation , including litigation before the United States. Supreme Court. Goldstein was also reportedly a high-stakes poker player, frequently playing games involving millions of dollars.
During this time, Goldstein allegedly engaged in a scheme to evade his taxes. Goldstein allegedly took various steps to carry out his scheme, including diverting legal fees owed to the law firm to his personal bank account and then using them to pay personal poker-related debts; using law firm assets to settle personal poker debts and causing those payments to be falsely classified as “legal fee” expenses in the firm’s books and records; and using firm assets to pay the salaries and health insurance premiums of individuals with whom Goldstein had a personal relationship but who performed little or no work for the law firm and were ineligible for his health insurance.
Goldstein also allegedly failed to report, or improperly understated, millions of dollars in gambling winnings on his tax returns. Additionally, from 2016 through 2021, with the exception of 2018, Goldstein allegedly failed to pay taxes he reported as being due on his returns, while simultaneously spending millions of dollars on personal expenses such as debts from gaming, travel, vacation rentals and luxury products.
In 2021, Goldstein also allegedly submitted false mortgage applications to two separate mortgage companies, seeking financing to purchase a $2.6 million home in Washington, DC. On these mortgage applications – which required Goldstein to list all of his debts and liabilities – Goldstein allegedly left out millions of dollars. of dollars in liabilities, including more than $14 million he owed at the time on two promissory notes, as well as taxes he owed the IRS. Goldstein’s false statements to one of the mortgage lenders allegedly allowed him to obtain a $1.98 million loan.
If convicted, Goldstein faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on each of the tax evasion charges; a maximum sentence of three years in prison for each count of complicity in filing false tax returns; a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each count of willful non-payment of taxes; and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for each count of making false statements to mortgage lenders. He also faces a period of supervised release, monetary penalties and restitution. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and United States Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland made the announcement.
The IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI are investigating the case.
Lead litigation counsel Stanley Okula, trial attorneys Emerson Gordon-Marvin and Hayter Whitman of the Tax Division, and Assistant United States Attorney Patrick Kibbe for the District of Maryland are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is just an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
