"Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire testified that Thomas Goldstein assisted him in recovering a gambling debt from a billionaire. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
July 24 (UPI) -- A prominent Supreme Court litigator in Maryland has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for tax evasion and mortgage fraud, prosecutors said Friday.
Thomas Goldstein, who argued some 40 cases in front of the nation's highest court, was found guilty of eight felonies in a February trial.
Prosecutors say Goldstein, an avid poker player, funneled millions from his law firm to cover gambling debts -- and lied to IRS agents to hide them.
"His motivation was singular: pure, unrelenting greed," prosecutors wrote in court documents. "Whether funneling gambling income through offshore bank accounts, shaving millions off his true law firm income, or lying to his lenders, Goldstein's crimes always sought to advance and maintain his exorbitant lifestyle, replete with Bentleys, globe-trotting vacations, and a $200,000 watch."
