Former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” husband and attorney Tom Girardi was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison Tuesday for embezzling millions of dollars from former clients.
Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered the 86-year-old to pay $2.3 million in restitution to victims and a $35,000 fine during the hearing in Los Angeles court.
Last year, the disbarred attorney and estranged husband of “RHOBH” star Erika Jayne was found guilty of stealing tens of millions of dollars in settlement funds from former clients for more than a decade. His victims included relatives of those killed in the 2018 Lion Air crash in the Java Sea, which killed 189 people.
The former powerhouse used to run the Girardi Keese law firm, which is now closed.
“Girardi sent lulling communications to the defrauded clients that, among other things, falsely denied that the settlement proceeds had been paid and falsely claimed that Girardi Keese could not pay the settlement proceeds to clients until certain purported requirements had been met,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a news release. “These bogus requirements included addressing supposed tax obligations, settling bankruptcy claims, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations from judges, and