High-Roller Lawyer Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Fraud
July 25, 2026
The well-known attorney and high-stakes cash player Tom Goldstein has been sentenced to six years in prison for a series of tax crimes connected to his poker earnings. The court found him guilty of tax evasion, providing false information to creditors, and filing a knowingly false tax return. According to Bloomberg Law, the lawyer was also ordered to pay $3.1 million in restitution and was given a 5-year probation term.
Goldstein was one of the most famous attorneys in the United States and regularly took part in high-roller games. In 2016, his winnings amounted to $50 million. The lawyer was coached by the regulars Andrew Robl and Keith Gipson, and his opponents included Dan "Jungleman" Cates, as well as billionaires Alec Gores and Andy Beal, from whom he won $77 million. In addition, Goldstein played poker at a birthday party for actor Kevin Hart in Greece and represented Tobey Maguire when the latter sought to recover a $7.8 million poker debt from Andy Beal. Maguire also served as a witness in Goldstein's own case.
According to investigators, Goldstein failed to declare multi-million-dollar income, including earnings from poker, redirected payments from his law firm to third parties in order not to acknowledge them, and falsely reported personal expenses as business ones to reduce his tax bill. He spent this money on a lavish lifestyle. The lawyer, for his part, insisted on his innocence and claimed that he had intended to pay the outstanding taxes.
Goldstein faced up to 30 years in prison on several counts of providing false information to creditors. In December 2025, the high-roller lawyer told The New York Times that he had turned down a plea deal offered by the prosecution, under which he would plead guilty and receive five years in prison. The prosecutors, meanwhile, sought an eight-year sentence.
Goldstein's attorneys have already filed a motion for his release pending appeal, noting that he intends to appeal the verdict on an expedited basis.
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Goldstein was one of the most famous attorneys in the United States and regularly took part in high-roller games. In 2016, his winnings amounted to $50 million. The lawyer was coached by the regulars Andrew Robl and Keith Gipson, and his opponents included Dan "Jungleman" Cates, as well as billionaires Alec Gores and Andy Beal, from whom he won $77 million. In addition, Goldstein played poker at a birthday party for actor Kevin Hart in Greece and represented Tobey Maguire when the latter sought to recover a $7.8 million poker debt from Andy Beal. Maguire also served as a witness in Goldstein's own case.
According to investigators, Goldstein failed to declare multi-million-dollar income, including earnings from poker, redirected payments from his law firm to third parties in order not to acknowledge them, and falsely reported personal expenses as business ones to reduce his tax bill. He spent this money on a lavish lifestyle. The lawyer, for his part, insisted on his innocence and claimed that he had intended to pay the outstanding taxes.
Goldstein faced up to 30 years in prison on several counts of providing false information to creditors. In December 2025, the high-roller lawyer told The New York Times that he had turned down a plea deal offered by the prosecution, under which he would plead guilty and receive five years in prison. The prosecutors, meanwhile, sought an eight-year sentence.
Goldstein's attorneys have already filed a motion for his release pending appeal, noting that he intends to appeal the verdict on an expedited basis.
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