His wife The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills cast members Erika Jayne, Tom Girardiand several former members of the now-defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, have just been indicted on fraud charges.
Months after former chief financial officer Girardi Keese, Christopher Kamonarrested on suspicion of wire fraud, federal grand juries in two states have indicted the former CFO, as well as an undisclosed attorney and son-in-law, a fellow attorney. David Lira.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times confirmed, prosecutors announced charges and indictments in Chicago, stating that the man “was charged with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of contempt of court” after allegedly embezzling more than $3 million. settlement fund for relatives of victims who died in the 2018 plane crash in Indonesia.
In recent years, Thomas has been accused of embezzling more than $15 million from former clients to support law firm fees and the lavish lifestyle he shared with his now-estranged wife, RHOBA star Erika. And as the report explained, the Los Angeles case alleges that Christopher and his superiors “created, participated in, and executed a scheme to defraud the victim’s clients” for about 10 years, starting in 2010.
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon are accused of running a widespread scheme to steal from clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud. Martin Estrada, an LA attorney, said in a statement. “In doing so, he is accused of harming the people he trusts and trusts the most – his clients. Conduct as alleged in the indictment tarnishes the reputation of the legal profession and will not be tolerated by my office.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, lawyers John R. Lausch Jr. comments on the alleged crimes of Thomas and David.
“Lawyers who breach their client’s trust and breach the fiduciary duty that is paramount to the practice of law must be held accountable,” he said.
As RHOBA fans also know, Thomas is now in the conservatorship ordered by the court opened by the brother Robert Girardi (due to an Alzheimer’s diagnosis received in early 2021) and living in a memory care unit in Orange County. However, many have questioned the legitimacy of the diagnosis, which suggests that the former lawyer may have used the disease to evade legal consequences.
As LA Times explained, officials from the State Bar of California went to court with suspicions, claiming that the development had occurred in “very unusual circumstances” and noted that the evidence was “rare”.
According to ABC7, Tom’s charges, five counts of wire fraud, carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Although the official requested more tests to confirm the diagnosis, the request was denied.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season 13 is expected to go into production later this month.