Latest news with #sentencing
CTV News
7 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
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 US$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.' Andrew Dalton, The Associated Press
The Independent
8 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Former celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi gets 7 years in prison for stealing millions from clients
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.'
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Aussie dad facing jail time in Bali over wild Finns Beach Club brawl issues a desperate plea to the judge
A young Aussie man involved in a carpark brawl outside a world famous beach club in Bali has issued a grovelling plea to the judges who are preparing to sentence him. Mohamed Rifai, 27, from south-west Sydney, will learn on Thursday whether he will spend more time behind bars over the savage melee outside Finns Beach Club in North Kuta in February. He and eight security guards remain in custody over the brawl which involved up to 15 security staff and four other Australian tourists. Rifai appeared in Denpasar District Court on Tuesday, where he addressed the courtroom with an impassioned plea for leniency. It came after the prosecutor recommended a five month sentence. 'I am very, very sorry for my actions at that night,' a remorseful Rifai told the court. 'I am not a rough person. I have a family that I should protect in Australia. 'I beg you to give me the possible lightest sentence.' Rifai was accompanied by his father in court as the judges prepare for sentencing Rifai at one point turned in the courtroom to embrace his father, who has arrived on the holiday island to support him ahead of Thursday's sentencing. Public prosecutor Lovi Pusnawan told the court that Rifai was guilty of assault in violation of article 351, subsection 1, of the Indonesian Criminal Code. He urged the judges to imprison Rifai for five months. The maximum penalty for assault occasioning serious injury is five years' prison in Indonesia. 'We demand the panel of judges to find defendant Mohamed Rifai legally and convincingly guilty on assault charge as regulate in article 351 subsection 1, and demand the panel of judge to sentence the defendant to 5 months imprisonment, minus the time he has already served,' Mr Pusnawan said. The prosecutor considered the injuries caused in the beach club brawl as an aggravating factor. He also considered several mitigating factors, including Rifai's polite nature during the trial, his admission of guilt, displays of remorse, and the 'peace agreement' between himself and the alleged victims. Rifai's lawyer Sabam Antonius read Rifai's defence statement in response. 'We respectfully request the honourable panel of judges to take into consideration the following points,' he read. 'Throughout the trial process, the defendant has demonstrated a proactive attitude; the defendant provided clear and straightforward explanations during the examination without being evasive or contradictory. 'The defendant's actions were a spontaneous and reactive response, without any prior intention; the defendant acted in an attempt to protect his friend; as a result of the incident, the defendant himself became a victim due to the actions of the security personnel and sustained injuries.' Mr Antonius referenced last week's court session, where Rifai and the security guards involved in the brawl publicly forgave each other. 'A peace agreement has been made and documented in a written statement dated February 24, 2025,' he read. 'The defendant has admitted and accepted responsibility for his actions and sincerely regrets his behaviour.' He added that Rifai is committed to 'self-improvement' and living a better life. He didn't have a criminal record prior to the melee. 'In light of these considerations, we kindly request that this case be resolved with the lightest possible sentence,' Mr Antonius said. Last week in court, Rifai claimed he acted in self defence while he was allegedly attacked by the security guards after they escorted his friend John Ebid from the club. He is accused of inflicting major injuries on security staff, including Made Bagus Yohanandita, who suffered head injuries and lost several teeth. In a surprise twist, Rifai shook hands and embraced each of the co-accused security guards in front of the judge after giving evidence against them on Tuesday. 'Will you forgive them?', the judge asked Rifai. 'Yes, I will,' Rifai replied. The judge responded: 'Please, all of you forgive each other. During his victim testimony, Rifai recalled how the brawl was sparked by Mr Ebid's eviction from the club. 'I was in the main pool and saw my friend being taken out so I approached him (a security guard),' he told the court. 'I asked what happened and he said to let him take him (Mr Ebid) but then they did the same thing to me.' When asked if the security used any weapons, Rifai claimed they used bamboo. '(I was hit) in my face, my head, almost all my body,' he said. 'They kicked my stomach also.' Rifai added he had been to Finns Beach Club several times with family and friends previously and had 'never had a bad experience before'. The eight security guards charged over the brawl include I Gede Laksemana Aryawan, I Gusti Putu Agus Surya Negara, Wayan Alit Junaedi, I Made Ivan Darma Saputra, I Nengah Dading Gunadi, I Gede Ngurah Alit Sujana, I Ketut Gede Mawantara and I Nyoman Mertayasa. Rifai will spend another month behind bars if the recommended sentence is handed down.
CNA
a day ago
- Health
- CNA
Beach Road chopper attack: Man jailed 19 years, caned for attempted murder of wife
SINGAPORE: The man who hacked his wife with a chopper outside a Beach Road restaurant in 2022 was sentenced to 19 years in jail and eight strokes of the cane on Tuesday (Jun 3). Cheng Guoyuan, 49, previously pleaded guilty to a single charge of attempted murder. This carries a maximum punishment of life imprisonment with caning. Justice Audrey Lim also took into consideration two charges of intimidating bystanders with the chopper when sentencing him. She agreed with the prosecution that Cheng's attack on his wife was premeditated and committed out of malice. However, she found that it did not fall within the worst type of such cases, and hence did not warrant the maximum sentence. Cheng, who followed proceedings through a Mandarin interpreter, kept his head bowed as the judge read out her decision. Videos of the brutal attack on Apr 14, 2022 were circulated widely online. Multiple bystanders had tried to fend Cheng off by throwing things or holding him off with a ladder. The victim, 44-year-old Han Hongli, suffered severe blood loss and took 1.5 years to recover and adjust to her life-threatening injuries. These included deep lacerations across her body, open fractures and amputation of her ring finger. She no longer has sight in her left eye, has a permanently disfigured face and her arms are permanently partially impaired. Deputy Public Prosecutors Ng Jun Chong and Koh Yi Wen had urged the court to jail Cheng for life and impose eight to 12 strokes of the cane. Cheng's lawyers Johannes Hadi and Wei Ziqiang, who were appointed pro bono, had argued for 15 years' jail and five strokes of the cane. MOTIVATED BY VENGEANCE Cheng was likely motivated by vengeance, according to his psychiatric assessment at the Institute of Mental Health. Cheng and Ms Han, both Chinese nationals, were married in 2009. Ms Han has a daughter from a previous marriage and a son with Cheng. Ms Han came to Singapore to work in 2016 and would remit money home. The couple's relationship became strained over time, and Cheng felt Ms Han looked down on him for earning less than her. Sometime in April 2021, Ms Han discovered that Cheng had done something wrong to her daughter. The wrongdoing was not revealed in court. When Ms Han confronted Cheng about it, he admitted to the wrongdoing but felt that it would not affect Ms Han's daughter. He also pleaded with his wife not to report it to the police and promised to compensate the daughter. Ms Han eventually agreed for Cheng to pay the daughter 40,000 yuan (US$5,552) as compensation, but their relationship worsened. Cheng managed to borrow the money but subsequently fell into financial difficulty. By then, Ms Han had stopped remitting money to Cheng, in part because she was not able to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cheng "believed that his reputation and his family's reputation were more important than his life, and would rather die than 'losing (his) face'", prosecutors said. He sought assurance from Ms Han that she would not tell his relatives and friends about his wrongdoing, and kept asking her to let the matter rest. He also asked her not to divorce him. In September 2021, Cheng came to Singapore to work as a cleaner. Ms Han did not know he was in Singapore, and was shocked when he turned up at her workplace in November that year. Later that month, Cheng threatened to kill Ms Han and not let her live in peace if she did not reconcile with him. Ms Han reported these threats on Nov 28, 2021, and police investigated Cheng and warned him not to look for her. Cheng returned to China in January 2022. In April that year, he found work at a restaurant and returned to Singapore, again without informing his wife. ATTEMPTED MURDER On Apr 12, 2022, Cheng "concluded that he might end up with nothing if the victim were to reveal the wrongdoing to anyone", said prosecutors. "He was angry with the victim as she refused to forgive him for the wrongdoing even though he loved her and felt that she had done things which let him down," they said. Cheng also hated that the victim "had control over his future". To settle the matter, Cheng came up with a plan to kill his wife if she refused to confirm that she would not reveal the wrongdoing. He went to the Beach Road restaurant where she worked, but returned to his dormitory when he could not find her. The next day, he took a cleaver to the restaurant again and saw her from afar, but did not attack her. On Apr 14, 2022, Cheng did not go to work. At about 5.20pm that day, he went to the restaurant where Ms Han worked. She was shocked to see him, and asked him to go to a back lane where they could speak. Based on Ms Han's attitude and responses, Cheng felt that she "could not be trusted to keep the wrongdoing a secret, and that she might reveal it to the Chinese police and his relatives", prosecutors said. "He became very angry as he felt that she was not going to give him a chance even though he had already compensated their daughter for the wrongdoing," they added. Pulling out the cleaver from his bag, he told her: "If I am not living well, you should not think about living." He repeatedly slashed her with the chopper, chasing her when she tried to escape and pursuing her despite bystanders attempting to intervene. Cheng was finally subdued after police arrived and fired a Taser at him. He later admitted to attacking his wife out of anger. He knew it was wrong to try to kill her, but did not want her to risk exposing his wrongdoing. According to a psychiatric assessment in 2022, Cheng would need to be closely monitored in prison, as he was at risk of developing an adjustment disorder due to his concerns about receiving a severe penalty.
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Teens who attacked Toutai Kefu and family in their Brisbane home have sentences upheld following appeal
Queensland's attorney-general has failed to appeal the sentences handed to two teenagers who attacked former rugby great Toutai Kefu and his family during a home invasion. Last year the two boys, who were aged 15 at the time of the incident, were sentenced over the 2021 break-in at Coorparoo, after pleading guilty to several offences including multiple counts of malicious acts with intent. They were both given less than 10 years in detention, and had no convictions recorded. The then attorney-general Yvette D'Ath launched an appeal on the grounds the sentences were manifestly inadequate. During a hearing held in the Court of Appeal earlier this year, prosecutors argued the sentencing judge did not have regard to the maximum penalty for some of the offences, which were deemed "particularly heinous". Under Queensland youth justice laws at the time, it meant the teenagers could face a punishment of up to and including life in prison. In a published judgement, three Court of Appeal judges found "no error had been established" by the attorney-general in relation to the sentencing judge's consideration of an appropriate term of detention.
