Tom Girardi and his son-in law have been indicted on federal fraud charges in two states, according to breaking news reports.
According to the LA Times, Girardi and his son-in-law, attorney David Lira and the former chief financial officer of his law firm, Christopher Kamon, have been charged with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of contempt of court in Chicago, Illinois.
Prosecutors are alleging they misappropriated more than $3 million in settlement funds from the relatives of those who died in an Indonesian plane crash, according to the report.
Over in Los Angeles, California, federal authorities have charged Girardi with wire fraud amid allegations that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills husband embezzled over $15 million from clients. As Bravo viewers are well aware, Tom and his estranged wife Erika Jayne have been facing allegations they were living a luxurious lifestyle on the backs of his clients for years.
Authorities in Los Angeles are also charging Kamon, alleging he “devised, participated in, and executed a scheme to defraud victim clients” along with Tom since 2010 until the law firm, Girardi Keese, closed in 2020.
“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,” he U.S. attorney in L.A., Martin Estrada, said in a statement according to the LA Times. “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.”
Tom Girardi, 83, is located at a memory care facility in Orange County, California after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease by a physician in March 2021 so there are questions as to whether or not he will be fit to stand trial. He is also under a conservatorship.
Girardi appeared on Bravo’s Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alongside estranged wife Erika Jayne when she first joined the series back in Season 6. She is reportedly set to appear on Season 13 of RHOBH when it begins filming next month.
