Former personal injury attorney Tom Girardi has been found guilty in federal court of defrauding his clients of more than $15 million over several years.
Girardi, 85, of the former Los Angeles law firm Girardi Keese, was convicted of four counts of wire fraud following a 13-day trial, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a public release. He was previously indicted in February 2023 in the Central District of California.
Prosecutors say Girardi’s scheme spanned more than 10 years, from 2010 to 2020.
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“Tom Girardi built a celebrity status and lured victims by misrepresenting himself as a ‘champion of justice,'” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said in the DOJ’s statement. “In reality, he stole from the poor to support a Robin-Hood-in-reverse, lavish, Hollywood lifestyle. Today’s verdict shows that the game is up – we can all now see what this defendant was and the victims he brutally betrayed.
Kirdi gets married The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erica Girardi, the couple has been involved in divorce proceedings for the past few years.
In 2022, People previously reported, Girardi was moved to a “restricted memory care unit” after being diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s the year before.
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Her brother Robert Girardi was previously appointed official guardian of Girardi and his estate in July 2021.
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Before his legal troubles, Girardi made a name for himself as a medical malpractice attorney. He famously took on Pacific Gas and Electric in a 1993 class-action lawsuit that inspired the 2000 film. Erin Brockovich, Starring Julia Roberts.
Girardi married Erika in 2000, though she filed for divorce in 2020. Girardi is banned from California until 2022.
Prosecutors say Girardi will be sentenced in December and could face up to 20 years in prison on each charge.
