The ex -husband and lawyer of «Real Housewives of Beverly Hills» Tom Girardi was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison on Tuesday for embezzlement of millions of dollars of former customers.
Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered the 86 -year -old to pay $ 2.3 million in restitution for the victims and a fine of $ 35,000 during the hearing at the Los Angeles court.
Last year, the inhebrado lawyer and the husband separated from the «Rhobh» Erika Jayne star was convicted of stealing dozens of millions of dollars in the liquidation funds of former clients for more than a decade. His victims included relatives of those killed in the 2018 lion plane crash at the Java Sea, which killed 189 people.
The old power used to direct the law firm Girardi Keese, which is now closed.
«Girardi sent enormous communications to the fraud clients that, among other things, he falsely denied that the income of the agreement had been paid and falsely said that Girardi Keese could not pay the income of the agreement to the clients until certain assumptions have been involved,» the United States Prosecutor’s Office for the Central District of California, in a press release. «These false requirements included addressing the alleged tax obligations, resolving bankruptcy claims, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations of the judges and satisfying other debts.»
Federal prosecutors said Girardi used their status to steal money from customers, whom he represented in cases involved serious injuries.
«This self -proclaimed ‘Champion of Justice’ was nothing more than a thief and a liar who cheated his vulnerable clients of millions of dollars,» said the United States prosecutor for the Central District of California Bilali.
Girardi was sentenced by a federal jury of four charges of electronic fraud after a 13 -day trial in August.
Christopher Kamon, former chief of accounting of the law firm of Girardi, was also tried for two positions of electronic fraud and accused of helping and inciting the scheme of the former lawyer, according to the United States prosecutor’s office. Kamon declared himself guilty of the charges and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The son -in -law of Girardi and former lawyer of his signature, David Lira, will also go to trial next month for federal fraud charges.
Girardi is known for its role in the demand for underground water pollution of 1993 against Pacific Gas and Electric Co. The case inspired the 2000 film «Erin Brockovich», starring Julia Roberts.
He also appeared regularly in the brave reality series «Rhobh» with his wife now excluded. Federal prosecutors said Girardi diverted more than $ 25 million from the operational account of his law firm to pay the expenses of ej Global, a company formed for Jayne’s entertainment career. The money was spent on luxury cars, private trips to jet, jewels and exclusive clubs, according to prosecutors.
Jayne, 53, requested divorce in 2020 after accusations against Girardi arose, and has said in the program that divorce is in process due to its mental and physical decline. She was appointed in a lawsuit that claimed that she knew about the embezzlement of Girardi funds in the case of Lion Air, but has argued that she had no knowledge of any fraud she committed. Jayne was fired from the lawsuit in 2022.
Girardi was considered appropriate to be tried at the beginning of last year despite the fact that his lawyers argue that he has Alzheimer’s disease, which they said he left him confused and with memory problems. Girardi had been living in an assisted care center throughout the trial and, while he was waiting for the sentence.
The former lawyer was ordered to surrender to federal authorities no later than July 17.
Jayne was in London on Tuesday when Girardi was sentenced, preparing for a presentation at the famous Koko Club of the city. In an interview with Vogue UK that was also published on Tuesday, he talked about picked up after dark times.
«We all go through things, you must realize that you are not the only one,» he told The Outlet. «And you have to find the will to take the small steps until you feel more comfortable, and those little steps can last a long time.»
