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Well, it’s a good thing that Erika Jayne has entered her cougar era because the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star probably won’t be seeing her estranged husband again anytime soon.
TMZ is reporting that Tom Girardi has been sentenced to seven years and three months behind bars for embezzlement.
The former attorney was found guilty of stealing more than $15 million from his clients over a period of ten years.
Infamously, Tom allegedly stole $3 million of settlement cash from relatives of the victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash.
Judge throws the book at disgraced attorney
US District Judge Josephine Staton has also fined Girardi $35,000 and ordered him to pay more than $2.3 million in restitution.
Of course, Tom is 86 years old, and he’s been plagued by serious health issues, so time will tell how much of that he’s able to pay back.
Girardi was a founding partner at the now-defunct Girardi Keese.
A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California has issued a statement outlining his misconduct.
“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 press release reads.
“These bogus requirements included addressing supposed tax obligations, settling bankruptcy claims, obtaining supposedly necessary authorizations from judges, and satisfying other debts.”
A messy separation amid mounting legal and financial woes
Erika probably has mixed feelings about the fact that her estranged husband will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars, especially as Girardi was diagnosed with dementia in 2021.
But the exes went their separate ways several years ago, and their split was not exactly an amicable one.
Erika filed for divorce nearly five years ago, but these two still haven’t managed to finalize. Although to be fair, Tom had had a lot on his plate, what with being arrested on federal embezzlement charges and all.
Jayne has accused Girardi of cheating on her numerous times during their 21-year marriage, and based on what we’ve seen of his character, we’re inclined to believe her.
Girardi has been accused of using embezzled funds to pay for Erika’s singing career, but she has repeatedly denied knowledge of any wrongdoing.
Erika has yet to publicly comment on Tom’s sentence, but we wouldn’t be surprised if she’s popping a bottle or two tonight — possibly in the company of a much younger man.
