Tom Girardi was found guilty of wire fraud and embezzling more than $15 million in client funds.
The estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘s Erika Jayne had been on trial on four counts of wire fraud. Tom was “found guilty on all four,” according to reports from the LA Times.
“The guilty verdict concluded a 13-day trial in which prosecutors elicited emotional testimony from former clients, including a burn victim and a widow whose husband died in a boating accident, employees of the now-closed law firm Girardi Keese and an outside attorney who struggled to get a woman the settlement money she’d been granted.”
“The jury began deliberating Monday and delivered the verdict at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. Girardi, in the same gray blazer he’d worn throughout the 13-day trial, swiveled back and forth in his chair as he waited to hear his fate.”
“He turned to watch Judge Josephine Staton as she read the verdict, face impassive. As she read the final guilty verdict, he rubbed his forehead. After the proceedings ended, Girardi was asked by a reporter if he wanted to comment on the verdict. he chuckled and said, ‘No. No.'”
In a written statement, U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada said, “Tom Girardi built celebrity status and lured in victims.” He “Falsely portraying himself as a ‘Champion of Justice.’ In reality, he was a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, stealing from the needy to support of 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.”
“Sentencing is set for Dec. 6. Girardi will remain free until then. Staton said he is neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.”
RHOBH’s Erika Jayne has yet to comment, but it’s safe to assume …
