'Spider-Man' Actor Tobey Maguire Could Testify at Tom Goldstein Trial
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The trial for embattled attorney Tom Goldstein over alleged tax fraud stemming from high-stakes poker matches got underway this week and is expected to feature testimony from prominent witnesses.
That includes A-list actor Tobey Maguire, whom Goldstein allegedly represented in a dispute over a $15 million poker debt owed to the "Spider-Man" star.
Goldstein Helped Maguire Recoup $15 Million Poker Debt
According to Reuters, prosecutors told jurors in Maryland that Maguire had once paid Goldstein $500,000 for legal work and that "the money was directed to a person whom Goldstein owed a poker debt."
The initial indictment, which PokerNews reported on in January 2025, referred to an incident where Goldstein represented a "Hollywood actor" who hadn't been paid out $15.6 million he won from against a Texas billionaire in a December 2019 poker match.
The actor, apparently Maguire, paid Goldstein a $500,000 fee, which, according to prosecutors, was sent to "California Businessman-3" (later revealed to be real estate mogul Bob Safai, whom Goldstein lost $14 million to) to pay down Goldstein's debt.
Maguire, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, has a long-documented history of playing high-stakes poker. He was revealed to be the infamous "Player X" in Molly's Game and reportedly won hundreds of thousands off Brad Ruderman, which led to him being sued by the convicted fraudster's investors.
Maguire played at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) regularly in the early 2000s but has stepped back from public poker games in recent years. In February 2025, he played in a poker night at Timothee Chalamet's Oscar party.
Billionaire Alec Gores Testifies in First Week of Trial
This week saw both jury selection for Goldstein's trial, which has captivated the legal and poker worlds, and opening statements from prosecutors and Goldstein's attorney, Stephany Reaves Couper.
Reuters reported Couper saying in her opening statement that "the evidence will show that the government has got this wrong," adding that Goldstein had acted in good faith and "was a busy lawyer, running his own law firm and arguing cases at the Supreme Court."
Prosecutors, meanwhile, reasserted their allegations that Goldstein failed to pay taxes on millions of dollars in poker winnings won over several years beginning in 2016, winnings that prosecutor Hayter Whitman said "fueled an increasingly lavish and luxurious lifestyle for Mr. Goldstein."
"This case is about Mr. Goldstein's choices and his deception," Hayter said, according to Reuters.
The first week also saw testimony from government witness Alec Gores, a billionaire whom Goldstein says he beat in heads-up poker matches to win $26.4 million. Gores supposedly had similar losses against social media playboy Dan Bilzerian, a close friend of Goldstein.
The initial 22-count indictment against Goldstein was trimmed to 16 counts earlier this year. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts and, according to Reuters, has also twice turned down plea deals.
