Prosecutors aren’t mincing their words in the trial against Tom Girardi. The estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne is standing trial for his role in defrauding his clients, and prosecutors are calling it the “trial of the century.”
Photo Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Of course, we’re all extremely familiar with the accusations Tom is facing. It’s been played out in the headlines, documentaries, and on RHOBH. However, now that Tom is facing his day in court, the consequences of his actions are imminent. Both sides just had their closing remarks, and there’s a decision looming.
Prosecutors called Tom Girardi’s actions ‘cruel’
Daily Mail has been reporting on all of the details of the trial, where federal prosecutors say Tom lied to clients and stole from them between 2010 and 2020 to fund a lavish lifestyle. In particular, they said he funneled nearly $20 million into Erika’s “acting” career. We see know well that went.
In the prosecutor’s closing arguments, they laid out an explanation of how Tom operated a “massive Ponzi scheme.” They said he knew exactly what he was doing and labeled his behavior as “cruel” towards his victims.
“He lied to his clients over and over and over again about why they weren’t being paid. He lied to them because he did not want to give them their money because it was gone,” the attorney explained. “It was already spent.”
Tom can’t blame it on mental decline
Although Tom’s lawyers originally tried to argue that he was mentally unfit to stand trial, prosecutors have continued to hit back at that claim. There’s no denying that his mental capacity is diminishing due to his age, but they argued this has nothing to do with the crimes committed years ago. He was declared fit to stand trial, so he should be fit to face the consequences as well.
‘The only mental state that matters is the one when these crimes were committed, not his mental state today,’ the prosecution argued. ‘Mr. Girardi was defrauding clients long before his mental decline.’
Meanwhile, Tom’s defense compared his current mental state to the movie Weekend at Bernie’s. As if this whole thing wasn’t already a disgrace, they’re making it sound like Tom accidentally stole all of this money.
“He got old, he got sick, he lost his mind. The lights were on but there was nobody home. He lost touch with reality,” the defense claimed.
Both the prosecution and the defense have concluded their arguments, so the judge has sent the jury into deliberation. If convicted, Tom faces up to 20 years in prison. Keep an eye out for updates.
