LOS ANGELES (AP) — A federal judge sentenced disbarred celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi to seven years and three months in prison on Tuesday for embezzling tens of millions of dollars from his clients, including several with severe physical injuries and families of people killed in accidents.
U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered Girardi, 86, to pay a $35,000 fine and $2.3 million in restitution to former clients. A jury in August found him guilty of four counts of wire fraud, and he could have been sentenced to up to 80 years in prison.
Girardi is the estranged husband of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne and appeared on the show himself dozens of times between 2015 and 2020.
He was once among the most prominent lawyers in the nation, often representing victims of major disasters against powerful companies. One lawsuit against California’s Pacific Gas and Electric utility led to a $333 million settlement and was portrayed in the 2000 Julia Roberts film “Erin Brockovich.”
But his law empire collapsed, and he was disbarred in California in 2022 over client thefts.
Girardi has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and issues with his memory led another court to put him in a conservatorship under his brother. But on Monday, Staton ruled that he was mentally competent to be sentenced, just as she had previously found him mentally competent to stand trial.
The judge had allowed him to remain free until his sentencing but ordered him to surrender to authorities by July 17.
An email to Girardi’s attorney seeking comment on the conviction was not immediately answered.
Former clients who testified against Girardi at his trial included an Arizona woman whose husband was killed in a boat accident and victims who were burned in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno, south of San Francisco.
Prosecutors played jurors voicemails in which Girardi gave a litany of false reasons money that a court had awarded could not be paid, including tax and debt obligations and judge authorizations. He frequently told them, “Don't be mad at me.”
FILE - Attorney Tom Girardi smiles outside the Los Angeles courthouse, July 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
CLEVELAND (AP) — On the heels of his team blowing a 12-point, second-half lead Wednesday night, Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic has bigger problems as the Raptors look to stave off elimination.
All-Star guard Scottie Barnes was kneed in the quadriceps by Thomas Bryant during the first half of Game 5 of the Raptors' first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Barnes was also poked in the eye during the first half on a play underneath the basket.
Meanwhile, All-Star forward Brandon Ingram didn't play the second half because of right heel inflammation. And reserve center Sandro Mamukelashvili did not play the final 12 minutes after appearing to tweak his knee on a 3-point attempt to end the third quarter.
With Barnes hobbled and Ingram sidelined, the Raptors missed their first 12 shots of the fourth quarter and fell to the Cavaliers 125-120.
“Obviously, it had some effect. I couldn’t play with that same pace that I was trying to play with," Barnes said about the quad injury, which occurred on a drive to the basket.
Barnes — who had 17 points and 11 assists in Game 5 — is averaging 24 points and eight assists in the series. RJ Barrett is the Raptors' leading scorer in the playoffs, averaging 24.4 points.
Ingram has been dealing with the heel injury for a couple of weeks. Raptors trainers tried to retape his foot during the second quarter before Ingram was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Ingram was 0 for 2 from the field and had one point, one rebound and two assists in 11 minutes. He is averaging 12 points in the series and was coming off a 23-point effort in the Raptors' Game 4 victory on Sunday.
Ingram averaged 21.5 points while playing a career-high 77 games during the regular season.
“Obviously, we need him out on the floor. His playmaking ability and his defense and everything he brings," Barnes said.
Point guard Immanuel Quickley hasn't been available during the series due to a strained right hamstring
Barnes said he would play in Game 6 on Friday night as the Raptors look to stave off elimination, but Rajakovic took a more cautious view.
“Tomorrow, we’ll know more. It’s 48 hours until the next game. I’m hopeful we’re going to have guys available,” Rajakovic said.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram drives on Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley during the first half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Wednesday, April 29, 2026, In Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Fans react after Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, front, made a 3-point basket in the final minutes of the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Toronto, Sunday, April 26, 2026. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
