Disgraced plaintiffs’ personal injury attorney Thomas Girardi has been found guilty of stealing at least $15 million from former clients he claimed to champion.
A federal court jury in Los Angeles found the former husband of Erika “Jayne” Girardi of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guilty on four counts of wire fraud. Girardi, 85, of Seal Beach, is set for a Dec. 6, 2024 sentencing hearing ordered by United States District Judge Josephine L. Staton where he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.
“Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a ‘Champion of Justice.’ In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support 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,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada, whose jurisdiction includes Los Angeles, said in a statement following the jury verdict.
The United States Attorney’s Office, District of California, in a statement added that Girardi during a 13-day trial was revealed to have misappropriated and taken funds from client trust accounts at his law firm, Girardi Keese.
“The scheme involved defendant Girardi stealing millions of dollars in client settlement funds and failing to pay Girardi Keese clients – some of whom had suffered serious injuries in accidents – the money they were owed,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated of the embezzlement scheme carried out from October 2010 to late 2020.
The disgraced lawyer also steered misappropriated client funds to his and his family’s lavish lifestyle.
“Girardi diverted tens of millions of dollars from his law firm’s operating account to pay illegitimate expenses, including more than $25 million to pay the expenses of EJ Global, a company formed by his wife related to her entertainment career, as well as spent millions of dollars of Girardi Keese funds on private jet travel, jewelry, luxury cars, and exclusive golf and social clubs,” the U.S. Attorney’s office stated.
Girardi Keese was eventually forced into involuntary bankruptcy, and Girardi was disbarred in July 2022.
Source From: www.hollywoodreporter.com
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