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Thomas Girardi has just been sentenced to seven years and three months behind bars.
Just under a year after the 86-year-old disbarred attorney was found guilty of defrauding former clients of his now-defunct law firm, Girardi Keese, out of more than $15 million over the course of a 10-year Ponzi scheme, U.S. District Court Judge Josephine Staton handed him his sentence, ordered him to pay over $2.3 million in restitution to victims, and dealt him with a $35,000 fine.
“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 press release on June 3, via NBC News. “These bogus requirements included addressing supposed tax obligations, settling bankruptcy claims, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations from judges, and satisfying other debts.
“This self-proclaimed ‘champion of justice’ was nothing more than a thief and a liar who conned his vulnerable clients out of millions of dollars,” added Bilal Essayli, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.
On Monday, hours before his sentencing, Thomas’ legal team attempted to convince the judge to allow him to serve his sentence at a mental care facility rather than a prison. However, after questioning the severity of Thomas’ alleged dementia, she concluded that prison was a fair and safe punishment.
Christopher Kamon, who was in charge of accounting at Girardi Keese, was also accused of fraud and received a 10-year prison term after pleading guilty to wire fraud earlier this year. Meanwhile, Thomas’ son-in-law, David Lira, who worked at his firm, is headed to trial next month to face his own set of fraud charges, and Erika is expected to go to trial later this year after being sued for $24 million by the trustee presiding over Thomas’ bankruptcy proceedings.
Around the time of Thomas’ sentencing, Erika, who is currently in London for a performance, spoke to Vogue U.K. about how she copes with hard times.
“I think you just have to because, what’s the choice? It’s okay to get knocked down, but you can’t stay down, because you don’t want to be miserable,” she shared. “We all go through things – you have to realise that you’re not the only one. And you have to find the will to take baby steps until you feel more comfortable, and those baby steps might last for a long time.”
Thomas must turn himself in by July 17.
