Erika Jayne's Estranged Husband Tom Girardi Found Competent to Stand Trial
Prosecutors accused Tom of using clients’ funds as ‘personal piggy banks’.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne's husband, Tom Girardi, will now officially have to go before a jury after being found competent to stand trial.
The stunning development was confirmed in a notation on the case docket and announced on Tuesday after RadarOnline.com told you first that lawyers representing Girardi said he was unfit due to a mental decline.
The stunning development was confirmed in a notation on the case docket and announced on Tuesday.
His legal team argued that experts hired by the government were not qualified to "opine on the competency of an older adult with cognitive impairment" after Girardi was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and his brother was appointed as conservator.
"Given their lack of expertise and experience, it is unsurprising that their opinions lack scientific reliability," his lawyers wrote in the docs obtained by RadarOnline.com in November.
They doubled down that Girardi's mental decline was at a normal rate "rather than accelerated as the government experts maintained."
Tom was accused of using client funds to pay for his luxury lifestyle with Jayne.
His team also made note that "three neurologists, two neuropsychologists, one neuropsychiatrist [and] multiple lawyers" determined that he suffers from dementia.
Prosecutors, however, believe it was a carefully crafted strategy. "His purposeful manipulation of these proceedings to avoid the consequences of a trial in this matter directly demonstrates how cunning and capable he truly is," they alleged in a previous court filing.
U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton placed the order under seal until lawyers for both parties had a chance to review any info they wanted to keep confidential.
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- ‘RHOBH’ Star Erika Jayne Speaks Out For First Time After Estranged Husband's Indictment For Embezzling $18 Million From Clients
- ‘RHOBH’ Star Erika Jayne’s Husband Tom Suffers ‘Further Decline’ In ‘Memory Functions,’ Relocated To New Home For Treatment
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Jayne's now-ex was indicted on charges he embezzled $15 million from clients from 2010 to 2020.
As we previously reported, Girardi, 84, was indicted on charges he embezzled $15 million from clients over the span of a decade from 2010 to 2020.
An indictment filed in Los Angeles last year charged Girardi with five counts of wire fraud while another in Chicago charged Girardi with eight counts of wire fraud.
Prosecutors believe Girardi stole more than $3 million from families of victims in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash.
Jayne has repeatedly insisted that she was unaware of her estranged husband's alleged criminal actions.
Amid his growing legal woes, Jayne filed for divorce after 21 years of marriage in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences.
Jayne has repeatedly insisted that she was unaware of her estranged husband's alleged criminal actions.
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Last year, Jayne revealed she met with several of his alleged victims with an open heart in July so she could "listen to what's going on, hear what happened and figure out how to be a part of how to move forward together in a way that's beneficial."
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