Husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne is indicted for fraud

Tom Girardi, the disgraced lawyer husband of Real Housewives star Erika Jayne, has been indicted for allegedly stealing $18million from clients including the grieving families of victims of the 2018 Lion Air crash. 

Girardi is already facing a mountain of civil litigation over claims he stole money from his law firm. 

Today, he was indicted by grand juries in Chicago and L.A. on allegations of stealing $3million from the plane crash victims, and an additional $15million from other clients. 

Prosecutors say he stole the money to pay exorbitant American Express bills and membership fees for two country clubs. 

He and Erika Jayne are estranged, but have not yet finalized their divorce.  She filed for divorce in 2020. 

Alzheimer's-ridden Girardi, 83, has been indicted on multiple counts of fraud

Tom Girardi, the disgraced lawyer husband of Real Housewives star Erika Jayne, has been indicted for fraud

Girardi, now 83, is in an assisted living center. His wife has claimed publicly that he is in the throes of dementia and he was formally diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2021. 

It remains unclear if he will be deemed fit enough to stand trial. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.  

Girardi was indicted on Wednesday by juries in Los Angeles and Chicago. His son-in-law from a previous marriage, David Lira, was also indicted in Chicago. 

Among the allegations is that he stole $3million from the settlements of the families of victims of an Indonesian plane crash, and stole another $18million from his firm to cover his extravagant lifestyle.

The criminal indictment is the latest chapter in a sad saga that brings an end to Girardi's once-admired career. 

He is facing multiple lawsuits for the alleged fraud and theft, which first came to light in 2020, around the same time Erika filed for divorce. 

Much of the drama has played out in episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. 

Christopher Kazuo Kamon, the law group's 49-year-old former CEO, was indicted along with Girardi in Los Angeles. 

189 people died in the crash of Lion Air Flight JT-610. Girardi and his firm represented five relatives of victims, but stole $3million of their settlement money

Among the victims Girardi allegedly stole fromj was Bias Ramadhan, whose mother died in the crash 

Girardi is best known for helping in the real-life, 1993 Erin Brokovich case against Pacific Gas & Electricity Co. 

David Lira, Girardi's attorney, was also indicted

Their lawsuit obtained a settlement of $460million for the residents of Hinkley, a record at the time. 

Before the indictment against him was filed, a separate law firm - Chicago-based Edelson PC - reimbursed the families Girardi is accused of ripping off.

That law firm said they would then pursue recouping the money from Girardi and his firm. 

Erika Jayne has been named as a defendant in some of the lawsuits against her estranged husband, but has not been charged with any crime. 

She has been dropped from some of those lawsuits, and insists she did nothing wrong. 

Some of Girardi's victims went after her claiming that together, she and her estranged husband used stolen funds to prop up their expensive tastes. 

The couple's palatial mansion sold for $7.5 million in October last year after falling into foreclosure.