‘A thief and a liar’: Lawyer Tom Girardi sentenced to 7 years for stealing more than $25M from clients to fund his then Real Housewives wife's career

"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 addition to prison time, Girardi was ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution and a $35,000 fine. His lawyers argued he was mentally unfit to stand trial due to Alzheimer’s disease, but a federal court ruled he was competent.

How his victims were impacted

Girardi was convicted of four counts of wire fraud in August 2024. Prosecutors said he stole tens of millions of dollars in settlement funds from clients over a decade. Victims included people who suffered severe burns, widows of accident victims and families of those killed in high-profile disasters, like the 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 198 people.

He often misled clients, telling them their settlement money was delayed due to tax issues, debt obligations or the need for a judge’s approval.

"Girardi sent lulling communications to the defrauded clients that, among other things, falsely denied that the settlement proceeds had been paid and falsely claimed that Girardi Keese [lawfirm] could not pay the settlement proceeds to clients until certain purported requirements had been met," said the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California in a news release.

According to Business Insider, one client was awarded $53 million in a settlement after a 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion in California caused severe burns. They ultimately received just $2.5 million.

Prosecutors said Girardi diverted more than $25 million from his law firm’s operating account to EJ Global, a company created to fund the entertainment career of his now-estranged wife, Erika Jayne, a star on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Jayne, 53, has denied any involvement and was dismissed from a related lawsuit in 2022. She filed for divorce in 2020 after the allegations surfaced and has maintained she did not know about her husband's crimes.