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 found the former husband of Erika “Jayne” Girardi of Bravo’s 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.