Tom Girardi was found guilty of embezzling more than $15 million from clients of his now-defunct law firm, Girardi & Keese. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Girardi is the estranged husband of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne. Bravo A federal jury presented its verdict at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse Tuesday. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
During the 13-day trial, federal prosecutors told the jury that the once-revered California lawyer ran a decade-long Ponzi scheme by stealing and misappropriating tens of millions of dollars of his clients’ settlements.
They said Girardi, 85, would use the money to pay back other clients and fund a luxurious life for himself and Jayne, 53.
The former attorney, seen here in 2018, was found guilty on all four counts of wire fraud, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Getty Images for Annenberg Space Girardi was disbarred in July 2022 and indicted the following February. Getty Images
His federal public defenders, however, insisted that the firm’s former chief financial officer and Girardi’s co-defendant, Chris Kamon, was to blame for the missing and misappropriated money.
During the trial, federal prosecutors said the once-revered California lawyer ran a decade-long Ponzi scheme by stealing and misappropriating tens of millions of dollars of his clients’ settlements. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images They said he would use the money to pay back other clients and fund a luxurious life for himself and Jayne. Steve Eichner/NameFace/Sipa USA
“The last thing I would do would be to take someone’s money,” he testified. “I wouldn’t think of it.”
Girardi insisted he “didn’t intentionally ever tell anyone the wrong thing” and claimed Kamon “was very clever in stealing millions of dollars.”
He also repeated several times during his testimony that he never gave himself a salary.
Girardi faces another trial on federal fraud charges in Chicago in March 2025.
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