Getty Images
Tom Girardi, 85, was convicted Tuesday of embezzling tens of millions of dollars of clients’ money, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
a press release It was confirmed that a federal jury found Girardi guilty of four out of four counts of wire fraud.
The disgraced and disbarred lawyer is accused of concealing settlement money that should have gone to victims or their families in several cases, some of whom suffered serious injuries.
Erika Jayne Opens Up About Relationships After Split With Tom Girardi (Exclusive)
View Story
LA Times ReportsAssistant U.S. Attorney Ali Moghaddas told jurors during closing arguments: “The defendant picked these people at the darkest times of their lives and told them what he thought they would believe. What this case makes clear is that the defendant ran a Ponzi scheme for years.”
Prosecutors alleged that while his clients waited for payment, Girardi lived a lavish lifestyle and squandered money on his estranged wife, Erika Jayne, who stars in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
The defense argued that Chris Kamon, the chief financial officer of his law firm, Girardi Keith, was to blame. Kamon faces a separate case involving embezzled funds and has also been charged with wire fraud, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Girardi’s defense argued he was mentally incompetent, but a judge ruled last year that he was fit to stand trial.
Girardi is due to appear in a Chicago courtroom again in 2025 to face charges that he stole money from the families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air plane crash in Indonesia.
Girardi is best known for winning a $333 million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric, a case that was featured in “Erin Brockovich.”
