'RHOBH' Star Erika Jayne's Estranged Husband Tom Girardi & Others Charged With Misappropriating More Than $3 Million In Settlement Funds

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne's estranged husband, Tom Girardi, has been hit with criminal charges for his alleged embezzlement, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The embattled lawyer is now facing consequences for allegedly misappropriating more than $3 million in settlement funds intended for relatives of victims killed in the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

Both Girardi and son-in-law David R. Lira, 62, who also worked for California law firm Girardi Keese, were indicted on eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of criminal contempt of court, a press release on February 1 confirmed.

The indictment, which seeks forfeiture from the defendants in the amount of $3,069,500, also charges Christopher K. Kamon, the law firm's head of accounting and finance, with the same offenses.

"Attorneys who violate the trust of their clients and breach a fiduciary duty that is paramount to the practice of law must be held accountable," said attorney John R. Lausch, Jr., as the trio faces trial.

"Taking advantage of victims of tragedy is a despicable act, and we will continue to seek justice for anyone who takes advantage of innocent Americans in their hour of need," added FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Robert W. "Wes" Wheeler.

Each count of wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars, while the maximum penalty is determined by the court.

Girardi had quite a fall from grace, as he was once a well-respected attorney in Los Angeles before his empire fell apart in 2020. His clients and creditors accused him of running his firm like a Ponzi scheme, leading him into Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Legal affairs reporter Meghann Cuniff took to Twitter with the tipoff earlier today, revealing the Justice Department was going to make an announcement "regarding a criminal case against a former member of California's legal community."

She later confirmed the press conference was about Girardi, the former king of mega torts.

RadarOnline.com can confirm the legal problems keep piling up as we exclusively reported that a bombshell lawsuit was filed demanding American Express return $50 million that the now-defunct law firm once run by Girardi paid the credit card company.

As part of Chapter 7, Jayne was slapped with a $25 million lawsuit demanding she pay back the money Girardi Keese spent on bills for her company EJ Global, which she fired back at, claiming she did nothing wrong while moving to dismiss the case.

Jayne, her son from her first marriage, and some of Girardi's employees were said to have received multiple credit cards.

Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com have since shown the trustee presiding over the firm's bankruptcy has filed a lawsuit against AE claiming Girardi paid them when he was well aware that he owed creditors.

"Girardi Keese began a systematic process of draining the available cash, oftentimes consisting of stolen client trust funds, by, among other things, making distributions to certain preferred creditors or third parties from funds of Girardi Keeses estate," the suit alleged.

"With respect to the Fraudulent Transfers, no less than the amount of $9,079,528 was on account of purchases that solely benefitted Thomas, Erika, and their family members and friends, and had no relation to the operation of, and did not benefit, Girardi Keese."