It’s expensive to be her! Lawyer Goldie Schon has some ideas about where Erika Jayne’s money might be.
“People open other companies or they do something to create another hurdle to avoid detecting where the money went. She’s playing musical chairs with the money but it’s not going to work,” the lawyer, who is not affiliated with Erika’s case, told Us Weekly exclusively on Wednesday, June 30. “It never works with the federal government. They’re going to figure it out in the end. It’s all traceable. So they’re either going to get the money back or they’re going to file a judgment against her for how much money she took.”
Court documents obtained by Us in June alleged that the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 49, was refusing to submit “key financial documents” related to the ongoing bankruptcy case against her estranged husband, Tom Girardi.
The 82-year-old former lawyer’s firm, Girardi Keese, was previously accused of giving Erika $20 million over the years for her various businesses. In the June 23 motion, she was accused of using Pretty Mess Inc. and her other companies to hide assets.
“At every turn, Erika has used the glam to continue to aid and abet this sham transactions that have been occurring with respect to large transfers of assets from the [Girardi Keese] to Erika,” the document read. “Moreover, the Trustee has received zero cooperation from Erika which is constant [sic] with someone hiding assets.”
Schon told Us that she believes the “How Many F—ks?” singer doesn’t want to turn over the documents because they will reveal what happened to her millions.
“It’s just going to expose where the money came from and where the money went. That’s what she’s concerned about. She doesn’t want to help them make her be guilty,” she said. “If she hands over the bank statements showing where the money come from or where she spent it or where she put it, she’s helping the other side basically deal her faith. The longer she delays, the worse it’s going to get.”
On Tuesday, June 29, Us confirmed that Erika was ordered to produce her financial records. She is supposed to turn over the documents — including bank statements, cashier’s checks, money orders and any emails or texts related to her money — no later than Wednesday, July 21, at 5 p.m.
The Georgia native’s legal troubles have been making headlines since November 2020 when she filed for divorce from Tom after 20 years of marriage. The following month, the couple were accused of embezzling money from the victims of the Lion Air Flight 610 plane crash.
In a September 2020 deposition, the Colorado native claimed that he was “broke” after losing millions of dollars. Months later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia and — although he told the judge he objected after the fact — his brother Robert was named his temporary conservator. During a June 9 hearing, the judge ruled that Robert will take over decisions about Tom’s health, healthcare, daily dealings, estate and finances.
“This is going to be going on for a while. They’re not going to be able to go forward with the divorce if he’s saying he’s not capable of understanding what’s going on. It’s going to be very hard for the divorce to proceed too,” Schon said on Wednesday. “It’s going to delay and put things on pause as the result of his diagnosis. She can still get divorced and become a single person, but when it comes to dividing up of any stuff, money, property, that’s not going to happen because all of that is going to be intertwined with the bankruptcy case. Because where did all the money come from to buy all that stuff?”
The Woodland Hills, California-based lawyer continued, “The bankruptcy is going to figure out what she’s even entitled to in the divorce. They’re not going to give anything to Erika until the federal court says it’s okay to do so.”
