Jurors reached a verdict Tuesday morning in the trial of Tom Girardi, the once high-powered Los Angeles attorney accused of running a 10-year Ponzi scheme that defrauded his clients of millions of dollars in settlement funds. Girardi, 85, has been convicted of four counts of wire fraud for diverting at least $15 million away from four of his clients, some of whom suffered serious physical injuries or lost loved ones as part of their cases. During his trial, prosecutors argued he spent the stolen money on private jets and jewelry, keeping up a luxurious lifestyle with a sprawling Pasadena estate that was depicted on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," the reality show starring his now-estranged wife, Erika Girardi, a pop singer who performs as Erika Jayne.
In 2021, the allegations against the former personal injury attorney were the focal point of the Hulu documentary series, "The Housewife and the Hustler." He was disbarred in 2022. "Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a 'Champion of Justice,'" U.
S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement announcing Girardi's conviction. "In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support of a lavish, Hollywood lifestyle.
" Federal prosecutors have argued that he misappropriated and embezzled millions from his clients between October 2010 and late 2020. Among the victims Girardi stole from , prosecutors say, were families of victims in the October 2018 Lio.