Erika Jayne Appears Somber After Tom Girardi Is Convicted of $15M Embezzlement

Erika Jayne Appears Somber After Tom Girardi Is Convicted of $15M Embezzlement

Erika Jayne was spotted heading to the gym in West Hollywood just a day after her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, was found guilty of embezzling more than $15 million from his former law firm, Girardi & Keese.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star appeared somber as she stepped out on Wednesday, dressed casually in a black long-sleeved shirt, gray sweatpants, sandals, and a baseball cap.

She went without makeup for the outing, reflecting the gravity of the recent developments in her personal life.

On Tuesday, a Los Angeles jury convicted Tom, 85, on four counts of wire fraud, crimes that he committed while running his now-defunct law firm. The charges stem from allegations that Girardi misappropriated settlement funds meant for his clients, many of whom were victims of personal injury cases.

He now faces the possibility of up to 20 years in prison for each count when he is sentenced in December.

The former attorney’s legal troubles have been ongoing for several years. In March 2021, Page Six confirmed that Tom had lost his license to practice law after being sued for allegedly embezzling money during his divorce from Jayne. By February 2022, a grand jury had indicted Girardi on charges related to the misuse of client funds.

During the 13-day trial, federal prosecutors painted Girardi as the mastermind behind a decade-long Ponzi scheme that ran from 2010 to 2020.

They argued that he systematically siphoned off funds from client settlements to cover his mounting debts and to finance a lavish lifestyle, which included maintaining a celebrity status and indulging in Hollywood excess.

“Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims by falsely portraying himself as a ‘Champion of Justice,’” US Attorney Martin Estrada stated in a release from the Department of Justice.

Martin’s statement continued, “In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support a 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.”

Tom’s defense team, however, attempted to shift the blame onto his former chief financial officer, Chris Kamon, who was also implicated in the scheme.

Chris, listed as a co-defendant, was portrayed as the true culprit behind the missing funds. Tom’s attorneys also pointed to his March 2021 diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, arguing that he was mentally unfit to have orchestrated the crimes he was accused of, claiming Kamon manipulated him.

Despite these defenses, Tom was deemed competent to stand trial. In his testimony, he denied the charges, stating, “The last thing I would do would be to take someone’s money. I wouldn’t think of it.”

He further placed the blame on Chris, describing him as “very clever” and asserting that any stolen funds were taken without his knowledge or for his benefit.

As Tom Giradi’s sentencing approaches, the fallout from the scandal continues to impact those connected to the once-powerful lawyer.

 

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