Actor Tobey Maguire testifies at tax evasion trial of US lawyer Tom Goldstein

WASHINGTON - Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire testified on Wednesday at the U.S. criminal tax trial of Tom Goldstein, telling jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland that he once hired the prominent American lawyer to help recover more than $7 million in poker winnings.

Maguire said he met Goldstein, a former top U.S. Supreme Court lawyer, through “poker circles.” The actor, who starred as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster film, recounted learning poker in his youth, before later playing in casinos and at private homes.

Federal prosecutors allege that Goldstein concealed his true finances while leading a “high roller” lifestyle as a high-stakes card player. Maguire turned to Goldstein in 2020 and 2021 to recover more than $7 million that the actor said he won playing poker with a Texas businessman.

Maguire, who is not accused of wrongdoing, testified that Goldstein had him route his $500,000 legal fee to a third party rather than pay it directly to Goldstein.

Prosecutors, who called Maguire to testify on the eighth day of trial, allege Goldstein used the payment to pay off one of his own poker debts.

A lawyer for Goldstein said that it was common in the poker world to have three-way transactions to resolve debts. Maguire declined to comment after his testimony.

Goldstein pleaded not guilty last year to charges he failed to report millions of dollars he won in poker games, lied on loan documents and made improper payments through his law firm Goldstein & Russell.

He contends that he relied on his accountants and law office managers for tax and financial matters, and never willfully violated any federal laws.

Goldstein co-founded the SCOTUSblog news website and argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court before retiring in 2023. His trial is expected to last about four weeks.

Professional poker player Vivek Rajkumar also testified on Wednesday and recounted having won $200,000 to $300,000 in matches with Goldstein.

“He was an unpredictable player, I would say — definitely capable of bluffing,” Rajkumar said, describing his opponent. “A smart player, but wasn't afraid to gamble.”

-Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario, Rod Nickel/Reuters