Tom Girardi found guilty of embezzling millions from clients – Knowligent
Tom Girardi found guilty of embezzling millions from clients

Tom Girardi found guilty of embezzling millions from clients

HomeNewsTom Girardi found guilty of embezzling millions from clients

Disbarred personal injury attorney Tom Girardi has been found guilty of leading a years-long conspiracy to embezzle tens of millions of dollars from his clients.

After a 13-day trial, Girardi was convicted Tuesday of four counts of wire fraud. He is scheduled for a hearing on Dec. 6, where he faces a maximum statutory sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each count.

Girardi is known for his role in the 1993 class-action lawsuit against California's Pacific Gas and Electric Company — a case that inspired the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich," starring Julia Roberts. (The lawsuit resulted in a $333 million settlement in 1996.) He is also the estranged husband of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show multiple times between 2015 and 2020.

"Tom Girardi built a celebrity following and lured victims by falsely portraying himself as a 'Champion of Justice,'" U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement after the verdict. "In reality, he was a reverse Robin Hood, stealing from the needy to support a lavish Hollywood lifestyle. Today's verdict shows that the game is up — we can now all see this defendant for who he was and the victims he callously betrayed."