‘Housewives’ ex-husband and disbarred attorney Tom Girardi pleads not guilty to stealing clients

After Thomas Vincent Girardi was indicted for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from legal clients, the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” ex-husband pleaded not guilty on Monday.

Girardi’s court appearance follows prosecutors in Los Angeles and Chicago last week accusing him of stealing more than $18 million.

The 83-year-old ex-lawyer allegedly stole from clients who included an Arizona widow whose husband was killed in a boating accident, a Los Angeles couple injured in a car accident that paralyzed their son and a man who was badly burned in 2010. San Bruno gas pipeline explosion.

TOM GIRARDI, EX HUSBAND OF “HOUSEWIVES” AND DISGRACED LAWYER, CHARGED IN A 15 MILLION DOLLARS SCAM

Christopher Kamon, 49, chief financial officer of Girardi’s law firm, is also charged in the indictment. Although he did not appear in court on Monday, he is jailed in connection with another wire fraud case in which he is accused of embezzling funds from a law firm to renovate two homes in the area of Los Angeles, pay for shopping sprees and hire an escort.

During Girardi’s rise as one of the nation’s most prominent plaintiffs’ attorneys, he took on powerful corporations, movie studios and Pacific Gas and Electric in a case that led to a $333 million settlement. dollars, which was portrayed in Julia Roberts’ 2000 film “Erin Brockovich.” .”

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Although he was a successful lawyer at the time, his legal empire began to grow amid ongoing legal troubles.

Erika Jayne filed for divorce from Tom Girardi in November 2020. (Jen Lowery/MEGA/GC Images/Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)

Last year, Girard lost his law license due to client theft. Creditors from his bankrupt company Girardi Keese are asking for more than $500 million, and he is in the process of divorcing Erika Jayne, who starred in “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”

The ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ star’s ex-husband, Erika Jayne, Tom Girardi has pleaded not guilty in court to allegedly embezzling $15 million from clients. (YouTube/Bravo)

Girardi also faces federal wire fraud charges in Chicago, where he is accused of stealing about $3 million from family members of victims in a 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 189. people.

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He was disbarred from the California State Bar in July 2022 and currently resides in a memory care unit at an assisted living facility, having been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in March 2021. He is also under judicial guardianship overseen by his brother, Robert.

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While Kamon is due in a Chicago court on Tuesday, Girardi’s arraignment is scheduled for March 3.

Girardi’s son-in-law David Lira, 62, also faces charges in the Chicago case and is expected to be arraigned on Friday. His attorney said he would plead not guilty.

Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.