Ex-celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi found competent to stand trial for alleged $15 million client thefts

Published January 2, 2024 6:59 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disgraced Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi has been found competent to stand trial on charges that he stole more than $15 million from his clients. A federal judge filed the brief order Tuesday. The 84-year-old Girardi is the estranged husband of Erika Jayne, star of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” He pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles last year to wire fraud. His lawyers said he has Alzheimer’s disease and can’t take part in his defense. Prosecutors say he’s exaggerating his symptoms. Girardi faces similar charges in Chicago. There, he is accused of stealing $3 million from relatives of people who died in a 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 189 people.

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