Image: Tom Goldstein playing in the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game II as a “European businessman” known only as “Thomas,” above. The game didn’t end well for Goldstein, who is facing a raft of federal charges related to his poker profits and losses. (Image: Hustler Casino Live/YouTube)
I have a funny feeling this one is going to run and run..
Lawyer Accused of Tax Evasion Played Million Dollar Poker Game in Disguise
Tom Goldstein, the SCOTUS lawyer indicted last week for tax evasion, appeared in the Hustler Casino Live Million Dollar Game II last May while disguised as a “European businessman.”
The game, which was streamed live from the Hustler Casino in Los Angeles, featured Goldstein wearing a facemask, baseball cap, and hoodie to conceal his identity.
It wasn’t an auspicious occasion for Goldstein, who lost $1.6 million in the game and at one point misread his hand, leading him to muck a winning straight for a $540K pot.
‘Ultra-High Stakes’
Goldstein is accused of failing to declare millions of dollars of high-stakes poker winnings and of willfully failing to pay more than $5.3 million in taxes from 2016 to 2021.
His legal career saw him represent Al Gore in the Supreme Court in Bush v. Gore. Meanwhile, moonlighting as an “ultra-high stakes poker player,” Goldstein won more than $50 million in a series of heads-up matches against wealthy businessmen in Asia and California who are unnamed in the 22-count indictment.
There were big losses too, including the time he dropped $16 million to a different California businessman.
and there’s more…