Former Los Angeles attorney Tom Girardi sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for embezzling millions from clients
Former high-powered Los Angeles attorney Tom Girardi was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on Tuesday morning for stealing at least $15 million from clients during a decade-long Ponzi scheme.
The federal judge's sentence also includes a restitution payment of more than $2.3 million and fines. Girardi has been ordered to surrender himself to prison on July 17.
Girardi, who recently turned 86, was previously seeking placement in a medical facility instead of serving time in prison when U.S. District Judge Josephine Station ruled against him on Monday, despite age-related dementia.
Girardi was convicted in August 2024 of four counts of wire fraud for diverting at least $15 million away from four of his clients. Some of his clients have suffered serious physical injuries or lost loved ones as part of their cases, such as a man whose girlfriend died in a natural gas explosion in Northern California, which left him with life-threatening injuries and severe burns all over his body.
Prosecutors said he used the embezzled money from clients to pay off other settlements, private jets and jewelry. His luxurious lifestyle was depicted on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," a reality TV show that starred his estranged wife, Erika Girardi, a pop singer who performs as Erika Jayne.
"Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a 'Champion of Justice,'" U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said following Girardi's conviction. "In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support of a lavish, Hollywood lifestyle."
In 2021, growing allegations surfaced against Girardi when he was sued by an attorney who worked with him in representing families of those killed in the 2018 Lion Air Flight crash, which left 189 people dead.
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