Erika Jayne’s Ex Tom Girardi Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Wire Fraud on 86th Birthday

After being found guilty for committing wire fraud last August, Tom Girardi has finally received his sentence — and the ruling came down on his 86th birthday.  

On Tuesday, June 3, the former prominent Los Angeles attorney — who was previously married to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne — was sentenced to seven years and three months in federal prison, NBC News reported. He was also ordered to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to victims.

The outlet cited a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California declaring Girardi “misappropriated and embezzled millions of dollars from client trust accounts” during his time at his former law firm, Girardi Keese.

The press release also stated that Girardi — who was disbarred by the State Bar of California in 2022 — must “surrender to federal authorities no later than July 17” and declared he had operated Girardi Keese “like a Ponzi-scheme” by sending “lulling statements to the defrauded clients.”

In 2021, Girardi was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. However, he was deemed competent enough to stand trial in January.  

Jayne, 53, filed for divorce in November 2020 — just two months before a lawsuit was filed accusing them of embezzling settlement funds that were intended to assist the families of Lion Air Flight 610 victims. In July 2021, the reality star and her ex-husband were the focus of Hulu’s The Housewife and the Hustler documentary, in which Girardi’s alleged victims spoke out about their experiences.

Jayne was cleared of any wrongdoing in 2022.

Though the demise of their marriage — and her subsequent legal woes — has played out on several seasons of the Bravo series, Jayne, for her part, has yet to speak out following her ex-husband’s sentencing. However, hours earlier on June 3, she took to Instagram to share a British Vogue interview in which she opened up about navigating challenging times.

“I think you just have to because, what’s the choice?” she told the outlet. “It’s okay to get knocked down, but you can’t stay down, because you don’t want to be miserable.”

“We all go through things – you have to realize that you’re not the only one,” Jayne added. “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.”