Former Los Angeles attorney and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband Tom Girardi was hit with a 12-count indictment on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Erika Jayne‘s estranged husband is being accused of embezzling over $15 million in client money — claims that have been heavily talked about on the show and reported on over the last couple of years. Tom’s law partner, Christopher Kamon, and the head of their firm’s accounting department, David Lira, are also facing identical charges, according to The Los Angeles Times. At this time, it’s not yet clear whether Tom, Christopher Kamon, or David Lira were taken into custody or retained counsel.
As we mentioned, Tom’s legal drama, which sometimes involved Erika, played out on the hit Bravo series. In fact, just last season, there was drama over a pair of $750K diamond earrings, which were gifted to Erika, that some of her co-stars said should have been given to the fraud victims. Even Jon Hamm spoke out on the earrings!
Tom, 83, who is the co-founder of the defunct Los Angeles law firm Girardi Keese, has been charged with five counts of wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, and that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Tom was disbarred in California in July 2022, following the initial accusations of embezzlement, and he has since been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and placed under a conservatorship.
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon stand accused of engaging in a widespread scheme to steal from their clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release. “In doing so, they allegedly preyed on the very people who trusted and relied upon them the most-their clients. Actions like the ones alleged in the indictment bring disrepute upon the legal profession and will not be tolerated by my office.”