Tom Goldstein, the SCOTUSBlog publisher and appellate attorney who argued dozens of cases before the high court, faces several tax fraud charges related to his gambling activities and personal relationships. But legal experts say the sprawling indictment against him may be just the beginning of his troubles.

The 50-page indictment filed in the Maryland federal court on Thursday broadly tells the tale of a man abusing his authority over the now-defunct Supreme Court litigation boutique, Goldstein & Russell, to repay nearly $15 million worth of debt that piled up as he engaged in high-stakes poker games, where the buy-in could run up to tens of millions of dollars.