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YouTubeA verdict has been reached in Tom Girardi’s wire fraud trial in California.
The former attorney, 85, was found guilty on all four counts of fraud charges on Tuesday, August 27, Us Weekly can confirm. The weeks-long trial concluded that he embezzled more than $15 million from various clients, “some of whom awaited payment for treatment of severe physical injuries.”
“Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a ‘Champion of Justice,’” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release. “In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support of a lavish, Hollywood lifestyle. Today’s verdict shows that the game is up – we can all now see this defendant for what he was and the victims he callously betrayed.”
Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, added: “Mr. Girardi was retained to advocate for clients who put their trust in him, but instead, lied to them and stole their money to fund his lavish lifestyle. Girardi falsely promoted himself in the media as a pillar of the legal community with a heightened sense of justice, but the clients he wronged for many years have now found actual justice in today’s verdict.”
Girardi — whose estranged wife is The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne — was indicted in February 2023 for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from his clients. He was charged with five counts of wire fraud at the time, to which he pleaded not guilty. The indictment claimed that Girardi and his colleague Christopher Kazuo Kamon fraudulently obtained millions that belonged to Girardi Keese clients between the years of 2010 and 2020.
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon stand accused of engaging in a widespread scheme to steal from their clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a Justice Department press release at the time. “In doing so, they allegedly preyed on the very people who trusted and relied upon them the most — their clients. Actions like the ones alleged in the indictment bring disrepute upon the legal profession and will not be tolerated by my office.”
Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi’s Divorce, Legal Woes: Everything We Know
Tom’s legal troubles initially made headlines in November 2020 when Jayne, 53, filed for divorce after 21 years of marriage. One month later, the pair were accused of embezzling funds meant for families of plane crash victims. Jayne was dismissed from the case in January 2022, but the two continued to face other lawsuits.
Getty Images (2)Despite his ongoing legal woes, the February 2023 indictment marked the first time Tom had been charged with a crime. Jayne, meanwhile, has not been accused of any criminal offenses.
Tom was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia in March 2021. His brother Robert Girardi ultimately became the conservator of his person and estate, while Tom moved into a senior living facility that specializes in memory care in August 2021.
Moving On? Everything Erika Jayne Has Said About Tom Girardi Amid Divorce
In January, Us Weekly confirmed that U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Stanton ruled that Tom was competent to stand trial in California despite his diagnoses.
Girardi is expected to stand trial in Chicago in 2025 on charges that he stole payouts made by Boeing to families who lost relatives in an Indonesian plane crash.
Real Housewives’ Legal Troubles Through the Years
Ahead of Girardi’s California trial, Jayne spoke exclusively to Us about her desire to put the legal drama behind her.
“I’ve moved past the last three years, but I don’t know if others will let me move past,” she said. “I still have legal things that are tying up, and they will take time because that’s the legal process. But I want to move on. … Every time someone asks me about Tom Girardi or something like this, you realize you’re cutting open a healing wound and you’re stabbing around in it, and that hurts.”
English (US) ·