Days after he was indicted on wire fraud charges, Tom Girardi made a rare appearance in public.
The disbarred lawyer, 83, attended the initial hearing for his federal court case in Los Angeles on Monday, February 6. Girardi looked frail as he arrived at the courthouse, wearing a dark purple sweater and a black surgical mask.
During the hearing, United States Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson ordered the Colorado native to undergo a mental competency evaluation and sealed all records related to his mental health. She also entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Girardi, who was released on $250,000 bond.
Stevenson said that Girardi doesn’t have to wear an electronic monitor, but he may not leave the Central District of California, per Page Six. He was also forbidden from contacting any of the alleged victims or witnesses associated with the case.
The former attorney’s brother Robert Girardi, who is his conservator, told the judge that he understood her orders. Tom has been in a conservatorship since early 2021 when he was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia. In September 2021, he moved into a senior living facility that specializes in memory care.
Earlier this month, Erika Jayne‘s estranged husband was charged with five counts of wire fraud and accused of embezzling more than $15 million from his legal clients. The Justice Department alleged that Girardi and his former colleague Christopher Kazuo Kamon fraudulently obtained millions of dollars that belonged to Girardi Keese clients from 2010 to December 2020.
“Mr. Girardi and Mr. Kamon stand accused of engaging in a widespread scheme to steal from their clients and lie to them to cover up the fraud,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a press release on Wednesday, February 1. “In doing so, they allegedly preyed on the very people who trusted and relied upon them the most — their clients. Actions like the ones alleged in the indictment bring disrepute upon the legal profession and will not be tolerated by my office.”
Tom’s legal troubles began in December 2020 when he and Erika, 51 — who announced their separation one month prior after 20 years of marriage — were targeted with a lawsuit alleging that they embezzled funds earmarked for families of plane crash victims. (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star was dismissed from that suit in January 2022.)
After Tom was indicted, Erika said she had some thoughts about the charges that she plans to share at a later date. “You know, I have something to say, but not right now,” the Pretty Mess author told paparazzi on Wednesday, per the Daily Mail. “You’ll hear from me soon.”
