Ex-Celebrity Lawyer Sentenced on 86th Birthday

UPDATE Jun 3, 2025 7:36 PM CDT

Disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi did not have a great 86th birthday. He was sentenced to seven years in prison on Tuesday for embezzling at least $15 million from clients in personal injury cases, NBC News reports. He was found guilty of wire fraud last year. "This self-proclaimed 'champion of justice' was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars," US Attorney Bilal Essayli said in a statement. Girardi, who has been living in an assisted-living facility, was ordered to report to a federal prison by July 17. Girardi is known for his involvement in the case that inspired Erin Brockovich—and for being married to one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Erika Jayne filed for divorce in 2020.

Aug 28, 2024 2:00 AM CDT

A lawyer once married to one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and who often appeared on the reality show himself, was convicted of wire fraud Tuesday in Los Angeles. The LA Times describes Tom Girardi as a onetime "legal titan," and ABC 7 goes with "legal heavyweight." But now, those and other outlets are using words like "disgrace" and "downfall" to explain what happened to Girardi, who was disbarred and faces up to 80 years behind bars. In a decade-long "Ponzi scheme" beginning in 2010, prosecutors said, Girardi—known for his involvement in the groundwater contamination case that inspired Erin Brockovich—embezzled at least $15 million of his clients' money and used it to fund a lavish lifestyle including private jets, jewelry, golf club memberships, and the aforementioned showbiz career of his estranged wife, Erika Jayne.

Lawyers for Girardi, 85, argued he's experiencing cognitive decline and was mentally incompetent, and accused others at his law firm, Girardi Keese, of "propping him up to keep the party going" in a situation they compared to Weekend at Bernie's. But prosecutors said those cognitive issues didn't begin until 2020. Girardi Keese's chief financial officer is also charged with wire fraud, accused of stealing more than $50 million. Girardi's trial included emotional testimony from former clients who never received their settlement money; in all, hundreds of the firm's former clients say hundreds of millions were stolen from them. Some of those clients include widows and orphans of an Indonesian plane crash. The case against Girardi, however, focused on just four clients, USA Today reports. (More wire fraud stories.)