Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf Monday on charges he embezzled millions of dollars from some of the massive settlements he won for clients during a once prominent career.
The 83-year-old disbarred lawyer is charged in Los Angeles federal court with wire fraud for allegedly stealing more than $18 million from clients that included an Arizona widow whose husband was killed in boat accident, a Los Angeles couple injured in a car wreck that paralyzed their son and a man who was severely burned in the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion.
Girardi wore a purple V-neck sweater and blue shirt, appeared to be frail as he walked slowly into a federal courthouse in front of cameras.
He was released on a $250,000 bond.
Girardi last week was indicted by federal grand juries in Los Angeles and Chicago in connection with the theft allegations.
Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said at a news conference that a probe of the one-time high-profile attorney ‘revealed that behind this public persona, [he was] committing fraud on a massive of scale,’ the AP reported.
The latest: Tom Girardi, 83, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, was pictured at a court hearing in downtown Los Angeles on Monday amid his ongoing embezzlement case
The 83-year-old, who was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in March of 2021, had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf Monday
Tom, pictured with Erika in 2016, is accused of ‘committing fraud on a massive of scale’
Prosecutors said that Girardi’s victims also included relatives of the victims of the October 29, 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash, in which all 189 people onboard died.
Federal prosecutors in Chicago said that Girardi – aided by his lawyer son-in-law and the chief financial officer of their firm – claimed monies earmarked for five of their clients who had settled with Boeing, who had manufactured the 737 Max in the deadly plane crash.
U.S. attorney John Lausch said that ‘the substantial misappropriation alleged in this indictment compounded the grief and anguish of the clients who lost loved ones in the Lion Air crash.’
The Chicago-based law firm Edelson PC in 2022 said in court docs filed in a racketeering suit that ‘Girardi Keese was little more than a criminal enterprise, disguised as a law firm’ and ‘operated what we now know was the largest criminal racketeering enterprise in the history of plaintiffs’ law.’
Girardi in 2021 was disbarred in connection with his handling of client funds, as his firm Girardi Keese has declared bankruptcy.
Girardi was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in March of 2021, and he has been under a court conservatorship in the time since.
Girardi rose to fame and fortune clashing with large companies and public institutions, leading the case that inspired the 2000 Julia Roberts movie Erin Brockovich, which he was an adviser on.
In 2015, Girardi told Attorney at Law magazine, ‘That particular case revolutionized people’s thinking about all the toxic things they are exposed to.’
Jayne, 51, filed for divorce from Girardi in November of 2020 after a 21-year marriage, and was subsequently named in civil suits in connection with the case.
The disbarred lawyer – who was indicted earlier this month over allegations he embezzled more than $18 million from clients – was accompanied by his legal team as he made his way into the federal building
Girardi last week was indicted by federal grand juries in Los Angeles and Chicago in connection with the theft allegations
Girardi donned a long-sleeved sangria sweater with a V-neck over a collared shirt
Girardi was diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in March of 2021, and he has been under a court conservatorship in the time since
Girardi in 2021 was disbarred in connection with his handling of client funds, as his firm Girardi Keese has declared bankruptcy
Jayne, 51, filed for divorce from Girardi in November of 2020 after a 21-year marriage. Pictured last month in Paris