Erika Jayne’s Ex Tom Girardi Lands Seven-Year Prison Term in Wire Fraud Case
Can’t say I’m shocked—an 86-year-old high-powered attorney just traded his courtroom swagger for federal prison stripes. Tom Girardi, once lauded for defending A-listers and amassing a fortune at his Los Angeles firm, was handed a seven-year sentence this week after a jury found him guilty of running a decades-long wire fraud scheme. Prosecutors accuse him of siphoning at least $2.3 million in settlement funds from the widows and crash victims he was supposed to help. At a hearing on June 22, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson unloaded harsh words, calling Girardi’s conduct “a betrayal of trust.” Now, Girardi will spend what remains of his twilight years behind bars, pending an appeal that feels more like a Hail Mary than a roadmap out of this mess.
We’re talking about a lawyer who once billed $1,000 an hour getting caught wiring client money into personal accounts and shell companies. Court documents show he shuffled settlement checks meant for injured plaintiffs into a maze of bank accounts tied to his own lavish lifestyle. Victims say they waited years for their payouts while Girardi was busy jetting off on first-class trips and funding his glossy divorce from “Real Housewives” alum Erika Jayne. No charges have been filed against Jayne, but the fallout has left her facing intense scrutiny—creditors are now eyeing her property and income for potential recovery. Girardi’s legal drama doesn’t end here, either: he’s also named in a class-action lawsuit accusing him of bilking dozens more clients out of millions. And just when you thought his career couldn’t sink lower, the State Bar of California launched its own disciplinary proceedings, threatening disbarment.
If irony had a poster child, it’d be this: a once-celebrated “man of justice” who now has a register number instead of a bar card. While the public watches to see whether Girardi will actually serve every one of those years, the case underscores a blunt reality check—no amount of prestige or celebrity clientele grants immunity from federal fraud laws. And Erika Jayne? She’s left picking up the pieces, wondering if celebrity status offers any real protection when your ex loses his grip on both ethics and bank accounts. So there you have it—another legend undone by greed. You’re welcome.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, People Magazine
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
