The legal saga surrounding former high-powered attorney Tom Girardi has come to a decisive close as a jury in Los Angeles found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud after he was accused of embezzling more than $15 million from his clients over a decade. The 85-year-old represents a dramatic fall from grace, with prosecutors charging that he diverted settlement funds destined for some of his most vulnerable clients to finance his opulent lifestyle, including his wife's entertainment career.
According to ABC7, deliberations began Monday following closing arguments and concluded swiftly within two hours on Tuesday morning, leading to the announcement of the verdict without visible reaction from Girardi, who once posed as a protector of the underdog in high-profile lawsuits. Girardi was accused of siphoning settlement money designated for his clients who had already suffered, like Joe Ruigomez, a burn victim from a gas line explosion, and Erika Saldana, whose baby died after a car crash involving a drunk driver while the case was ongoing Girardi's defense articulated he had grown old, sick, and was no longer mindful of the firm's actions due to cognitive impairment – including dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
During the trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Moghaddas painted Girardi as a reverse Robin Hood figure, telling jurors that "he wanted the outside world to believe he was fighting for people who couldn't help themselves," but instead he left clients awaiting payment as "days turned into months and months turned into years," as quoted by CBS News. Despite having dementia, Girardi was deemed competent to stand trial earlier this year, and his testimony blamed his firm's chief accountant, Chris Kamon, for the stolen funds, although Kamon is scheduled for a separate trial on wire fraud charges.
The case is a stark turnaround for Girardi, once a renowned lawyer known for significant victories in cases such as the toxic groundwater suit against Pacific Gas & Electric Co., made famous in the film "Erin Brockovich." In light of his conviction, his past accomplishments have been overshadowed by the allegations and subsequent guilty verdict that allege he betrayed the trust of those he once avidly championed with Girardi's legal counsel unable to dismantle the prosecution's argument about the former attorney's role as the orchestrator of the extensive fraud scheme that impacted several clients – as noted by NBC Los Angeles. Girardi, who now resides in the secure memory ward of an Orange County nursing home, is facing the consequences of his actions.
