Tom Girardi, the once high-flying but now disbarred lawyer whose fame grew with his marriage to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne , was found guilty Tuesday of embezzling “tens of millions of dollars” from the clients of his now-shuttered law firm Girardi & Keese. The jury convicted Girardi, 85, on all four counts of wire fraud after less than a day of deliberations. Prosecutors said Girardi diverted money from his law firm’s accounts to pay for private jet travel, luxury cars, jewelry, memberships to exclusive golf and social clubs and more than $25 million in expenses for Jayne’s company EJ Global.
During the 13-day trial, some of Girardi’s former clients testified that they had been impressed with – and lulled into compliance by – Girardi’s record in helping secure the landmark $333 million settlement against Pacific Gas & Electric that was featured in the 2000 movie Erin Brockovich, the Los Angeles Times reported . “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 Tuesday. “In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support [his] 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.” Girardi’s sentencing has been set for December 6 and is facing a maximum of 20 years in federal prison .