Tom Girardi, once a high-profile Los Angeles trial attorney and a familiar face on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has been sentenced to more than seven years in federal prison after being convicted of embezzling millions of dollars from vulnerable clients. The 83-year-old former lawyer, who had achieved national acclaim for taking on powerful corporations, is now preparing to serve time for stealing from those he was sworn to protect.
The sentencing, handed down on Tuesday, marks a dramatic fall from grace for a man once considered a titan of the legal world. Girardi was convicted in August of four counts of wire fraud in a scheme that federal prosecutors say lasted more than a decade. According to the Associated Press, Girardi once secured a $333 million settlement in a case against Pacific Gas and Electric—an event portrayed in the acclaimed film Erin Brockovich.
That legacy has now been eclipsed by criminal behavior that targeted the very people Girardi claimed to represent: clients who were often victims of tragedy and in desperate need of justice. Among those defrauded were relatives of victims killed in the 2018 Lion Air crash in Indonesia, where 189 lives were lost. Prosecutors said Girardi diverted settlement money owed to these grieving families to support a lavish personal lifestyle and to fund a business tied to his estranged wife, Erika Jayne.
“This self-proclaimed ‘champion of justice’ was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Bilal Essayli in a statement.
The federal judge sentenced Girardi to seven years and three months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution and fined $35,000. Girardi is expected to report to prison in July. During the legal process, he has resided in an assisted living facility, with his defense team arguing he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease—a claim that did not sway the court in determining his guilt.
The saga extends beyond Girardi himself. His former law firm, Girardi Keese, has closed, and several of its members are facing or have faced legal consequences. Christopher Kamon, the firm’s former head of accounting, received a 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aiding Girardi. David Lira, Girardi’s former son-in-law and a former attorney at the firm, is scheduled to go on trial this July on separate fraud charges.
Girardi’s personal life has also been under scrutiny. His wife, Erika Jayne—an entertainer and reality TV star—filed for divorce in 2020. Prosecutors allege that more than $25 million in law firm funds were routed to EJ Global, a company associated with Jayne’s career. That money, they claim, was used to bankroll luxury cars, private jets, jewelry, and memberships to exclusive clubs. Though Jayne was named in a civil lawsuit related to the Lion Air case, she was dismissed from the suit in 2022 and has maintained she had no knowledge of Girardi’s actions.
Girardi’s fall from grace is particularly troubling given his longstanding influence in the Democratic political sphere. He was a financial supporter of President Joe Biden during the 2020 election, and his legal and social circles extended deeply into California’s political establishment. His prosecution raises serious questions about oversight, legal ethics, and how a man entrusted with such responsibility was able to manipulate the legal system for personal gain for so long.
As Girardi prepares to enter federal prison, his case stands as a cautionary tale about corruption and betrayal in the legal profession—and the price of unchecked power and prestige.
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