Tom Goldstein Lost Big in Poker Matches at Actor Kevin Hart's Birthday Bash
Indicted lawyer Tom Goldstein allegedly "lost a substantial sum of money" in high-stakes poker matches at actor Kevin Hart's 2024 birthday bash in Greece, and it has landed him in hot water with the US Department of Justice.
In documents filed in a Maryland federal court last week, prosecutors alleged that Goldstein, who in January was charged with tax fraud related to high-stakes poker matches, had access to "unknown wallets" that made him a "serious" flight risk. To back up this assertion, they referenced a trip Goldstein made to a July 2024 multi-day birthday party in Mykonos, Greece that was "attended by other ultrahigh-stakes poker players."
Prosecutors say Goldstein lost big at the party and settled up using an unidentified cryptocurrency wallet. Goldstein allegedly sent $200,000 from the wallet to the "game runner" whose responsibility it was "to coordinate the process of settling wins and losses among the players."
The government argued that the crypto transaction "only underscores the importance of continuing to monitor (Goldstein's) electronic devices to prevent him from using cryptocurrency transactions to attempt to flee or ... to interfere with the investigation or potential witnesses to his criminal conduct."
Though prosecutors didn't say whose party it was, PokerNews learned from someone who was at Hart's party, speaking on the condition of anonymity, that Goldstein was in attendance alongside other high-stakes poker players.
High-Stakes Poker Players at Massive Birthday Celebration
Hart, an A-list actor and former PokerStars ambassador, celebrated his 45th birthday in July 2024 in Mykonos, Greece with a multi-day celebration. Instagram posts show the party was attended by high-stakes poker players including Bill Perkins, Andrew Robl, Antonio Esfandiari and Edwin Ting.
"One heck of a Bday Celebration in Mykonos !," Esfandiari wrote in a July 9, 2024 Instagram post. "Monster thank you to @cowboyeddie888 for making it all happen. Happy bday to @kevinhart4real . A week that will never be forgotten!!!"
Photos show a rowdy scene at the multi-day bash at Nammos Beach Bar restaurant, a hot spot for Hollywood actors and other wealthy celebrities. The party, which made headlines when Hart left staff with a $40,000 tip, featured countless champagne bottles, uptempo DJ sets and dancing in waist-high water on the Aegean Sea shore.
And, as prosecutors allege, there was also high-stakes poker being played. "During the party, (Goldstein) played in a series of poker matches with other attendees," they wrote.
Attorneys for Goldstein did not respond to a request for comment from PokerNews. Assistant US Attorney Patrick Kibbe referred PokerNews to the public affairs officer of the US Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland, who did not respond to a request for comment.
Perkins, a Texas-based hedge fund manager, has a documented friendship with Goldstein and spoke to Bloomberg Law News about the charges against his poker friend. “I’m a betting person,” Perkins told the outlet in February. “I’m willing to bet there’s no conviction.”
Robl, one of the top high-stakes cash game players in the world, also has a connection to Goldstein. He and Phil Ivey famously bailed out Macau businessman Paul Phua for $2.5 million after his 2014 arrest in connection with an alleged illegal betting operation at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Goldstein represented Phua in the high-profile case, which was later dismissed.
Ting, meanwhile, has had his own share of legal trouble related to high-stakes poker games. In 2014, a federal judge in Manhattan sentenced the New York poker player to five months in prison and ordered him to forfeit $2 million for running illegal high-stakes poker games from 2010 to 2013.
Goldstein Goes Hollywood
Hart is a well-known high-stakes poker enthusiast and notably played in the 2017 $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl. He's also played in high-stakes cash games with players like Robl, Jean-Robert Bellande and Rob Yong.
The Get Hard and Jumanji star has stayed close to poker over the years. Weeks before his own party, Hart attended Perkins' 55th birthday celebration on Moskito Island in the British Virgin Islands, according to a video posted to YouTube in March 2024.
This isn't the first we've heard of Goldstein rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite. The indictment against him states that he once helped an unnamed Hollywood actor recover $15.6 million in poker winnings when his Texas billionaire opponent refused to pay out.
Goldstein, the founder of SCOTUSblog and a prominent US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) attorney, faces charges related to tax evasion, preparing false and fraudulent tax returns, and making false statements on mortgage applications. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Tom Goldstein Case Timeline
- Jan. 16, 2025 - Federal grand jury charges Tom Goldstein with 22 counts related to tax evasion, preparing false and fraudulent tax returns, and making false statements on mortgage applications.
- Jan. 21, 2025 - Goldstein revealed to be "best friends" with social media playboy Dan Bilzerian, who called him a reckless gambler.
- Jan. 28, 2025 - Goldstein pleads not guilty and is ordered to stop playing poker while awaiting trial.
- Feb. 10, 2025 - Tom Goldstein is arrested after prosecutors accuse him of making transactions from undisclosed cryptocurrency wallets.
- Feb. 11, 2025 - Goldstein denies ownership of the wallets and demands release.
- Feb. 13, 2025 - Goldstein is released from custody as Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Sullivan found the government hadn't proved by "clear and convincing evidence" that he violated pretrial release conditions. Judge Sullivan orders that Goldstein have his electronic devices monitored and be prohibited from using cryptocurrency.
- Feb. 27, 2025 - Goldstein appeals release conditions and calls device monitoring "drastic."
- March 7, 2025 - Government responds to Goldstein's appeal and reveals that he won $51 million gambling against a single player from May 2022-May 2024.
*Photos courtesy Kevin Hart & Thomas H. via Instagram & WikiCommons
