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Business Insider
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
The estranged husband of a 'Real Housewives' star was sentenced for embezzling tens of millions from clients of his law firm
A lawyer and estranged husband of a "Real Housewives" star was sentenced on Tuesday for leading a yearslong scheme that involved embezzling tens of millions of dollars in settlement payments from the clients of his law firm. Thomas Girardi, 86, was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison and ordered to pay about $2.3 million in restitution and a $35,000 fine by US District Judge Josephine L. Staton. She ordered Girardi to surrender to federal authorities by July 17. Girardi was charged in federal court last year in Chicago with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of contempt of court for embezzling millions in settlement money. He was found guilty by a jury in August 2024 of four counts of wire fraud. Girardi, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, was a personal injury attorney and ran the now-defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, in Los Angeles. The US Attorney's office for the Central District of California said in a statement that Girardi stole millions of dollars in client settlement funds and failed to make payments to the firm's clients, some of whom had suffered serious injuries in accidents. United States Attorney Bill Essayli said: "This self-proclaimed 'champion of justice' was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars." Girardi was known for taking on powerful corporations in high-profile cases. One lawsuit against California's Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was depicted in the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich" that starred Julia Roberts. The US Attorney's office said one client who suffered severe burns all over his body when a natural gas pipeline exploded in California in 2010 received just $2.5 million of a $53 million settlement. The US Attorney's office said Girardi diverted more than $25 million to cover expenses for EJ Global, his estranged wife Erika Jayne 's performance and entertainment company. Jayne, who appears in Bravo's "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," has denied any involvement and was not charged. Girardi Keese was forced into involuntary bankruptcy in late 2020 and the State Bar of California disbarred Girardi in July 2022. Christopher Kamon, the former head of Girardi Keese's accounting department, was sentenced in April to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of wire fraud. He was a co-conspirator in facilitating the embezzlement and falsifying financial records and was ordered to repay nearly $9 million.
6 days ago
- Business
Former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi gets 7 years in prison for stealing millions from clients
LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge sentenced disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi to seven years and three months in prison on Tuesday for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Girardi, 86, to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to former clients. A jury in August found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud, and he could have been sentenced to up to 80 years in prison. Girardi is the estranged husband of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020. He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California's Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film 'Erin Brockovich.' But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts. Girardi has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and issues with his memory led another court to put him in a conservatorship under his brother. But on Monday, Staton ruled that he was mentally competent to be sentenced, just as she had previously found him mentally competent to stand trial. The judge had allowed him to remain free until his sentencing but ordered him to surrender to authorities by July 17. An email to Girardi's attorney seeking comment on the conviction was not immediately answered. Former clients who testified against Girardi at his trial included an Arizona woman whose husband was killed in a boat accident and victims who were burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, south of San Francisco. Prosecutors played jurors voicemails in which Girardi gave a litany of false reasons money that a court had awarded could not be paid, including tax and debt obligations and judge authorizations. He frequently told them, 'Don't be mad at me.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Real Housewives' Husband and Disbarred Lawyer Tom Girardi Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Fraud Scheme
Tom Girardi, husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi, was sentenced to seven years in prison Girardi was convicted of four counts of wire fraud As a lawyer, Girardi once took on Pacific Gas and Electric in a case that inspired the film Erin BrockovichTom Girardi, the disbarred personal injury lawyer and husband to a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was convicted of stealing money from his clients. Girardi, 86, was sentenced by a federal judge in the Central District District of California on Tuesday, June 3, according to the Department of Justice. In August 2024, Girardi — who has been separated from his wife, Erika Girardi, since 2020 — was convicted of four counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors previously said Girardi embezzled clients out of $15 million over a span of 10 years, from 2010 to 2020. Related: Disbarred Attorney Tom Girardi Found Guilty of Wire Fraud After Embezzling Millions from Clients 'This self-proclaimed 'champion of justice' was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars,' United States Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. 'My office will vigorously prosecute corrupt lawyers and those who assist them in criminal activities.' Erika Girardi, known by the name Erika Jayne, and her husband have been engaged in divorce proceedings for the past five years. She did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment following her husband's previously reported that in 2022, Girardi moved into a "restricted memory care unit," having been diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer's the year before. Prior to his legal issues, Girardi famously took on Pacific Gas and Electric in a 1993 class-action lawsuit, a case that inspired the film Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts. Girardi was disbarred in California in 2022. Read the original article on People
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Tom Girardi, estranged husband of ‘Real Housewives' star, gets 7 years in prison for stealing millions from clients
LOS ANGELES — A federal judge sentenced disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi to seven years and three months in prison on Tuesday for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Girardi, 86, to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to former clients. A jury in August found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud, and he could have been sentenced to up to 80 years in prison. Girardi is the estranged husband of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020. He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California's Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film 'Erin Brockovich.' But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts. Girardi has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and issues with his memory led another court to put him in a conservatorship under his brother. But on Monday, Staton ruled that he was mentally competent to be sentenced, just as she had previously found him mentally competent to stand trial. The judge had allowed him to remain free until his sentencing but ordered him to surrender to authorities by July 17. Former clients who testified against Girardi at his trial included an Arizona woman whose husband was killed in a boat accident and victims who were burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, south of San Francisco. Prosecutors played jurors voicemails in which Girardi gave a litany of false reasons money that a court had awarded could not be paid, including tax and debt obligations and judge authorizations. He frequently told them, 'Don't be mad at me.'
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi gets 7 years in prison for stealing millions from clients
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge sentenced disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi to seven years and three months in prison on Tuesday for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Girardi, 86, to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to former clients. A jury in August found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud, and he could have been sentenced to up to 80 years in prison. Girardi is the estranged husband of 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020. He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California's Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film 'Erin Brockovich.' But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts. Girardi has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and issues with his memory led another court to put him in a conservatorship under his brother. But on Monday, Staton ruled that he was mentally competent to be sentenced, just as she had previously found him mentally competent to stand trial. The judge had allowed him to remain free until his sentencing but ordered him to surrender to authorities by July 17. An email to Girardi's attorney seeking comment on the conviction was not immediately answered. Former clients who testified against Girardi at his trial included an Arizona woman whose husband was killed in a boat accident and victims who were burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, south of San Francisco. Prosecutors played jurors voicemails in which Girardi gave a litany of false reasons money that a court had awarded could not be paid, including tax and debt obligations and judge authorizations. He frequently told them, 'Don't be mad at me.'
