Disbarred California attorney and "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum was found guilty on Tuesday of embezzling at least $15 million in settlement funds from clients. The jury convicted the 85-year-old of at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles, the U.S.
Attorney's Office announced. His sentencing date is scheduled for Dec. 6, when he faces up to 80 years in prison, 20 for each count.
The estranged husband of Bravo star was accused of deceiving and pilfering clients in personal injury cases while spending money on luxury private jets and golf club memberships, according to the attorney's office. "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. "In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support of a lavish, Hollywood lifestyle." Here's what you need to know about Girardi and the trial.
Girardi, who lives in Seal Beach in Southern California's Orange County, is a now disbarred celebrity lawyer known partially for his role in the 1993 groundwater contamination lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric that inspired the 2000 Oscar-nominated film "Erin Brockovich." Girardi was once considered a "powerful figure in California’s legal community," running the Girardi Keese law firm, which was forced into involuntary bankruptcy in late 2020, according to the U.S.
Attorney's Office. The State Bar of California disbarred him from practicin.