Credit: Jenny Kim/Bravo,
Times have not been great for Erika Jayne from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
As practically everyone knows, she is going through a divorce from Tom Girardi. However, this is the least of her worries as he has been found competent enough to stand trial. Additionally, many believe she was aware of him embezzling money from his clients.
Now, it’s being reported that Erika could lose big once the fraud case finally goes to trial. Additionally, there has been no movement on her divorce case, which was filed in 2020. The pair got married in 1999.
According to The Sun, Erika could lose “close to a million dollars” if Tom gets convicted of embezzlement. He has been accused of wire fraud for embezzling upwards of $15 million from clients. Sadly, this includes a couple with an injured child and a burn victim. The former lawyer filed for bankruptcy in 2021 and has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The RHOBH star has said she had no idea any of this was going on. However, that doesn’t protect her if he is found guilty.
According to attorney Ronald Richards, “Her divorce has been sitting on ice since 2021. They’re doing nothing in that case. She is set to get half of whatever remains after the bankruptcy case, some things are exempt, and there are community assets. But if he’s convicted, a restitution order could attack whatever is left, and she could lose out, as well as be on the hook for lifetime alimony payments.”
Sources also believe that Erika is upset that Tom will be standing trial.
Notably, there are reportedly $480 million worth of claims against Tom’s estate. However, the bankruptcy trustee has paid about $27.2 million to secured creditors. This leaves $322 million owed to unsecured creditors.
The most recent news is that a trial date has been set as of January 10. The trial is expected to take place on May 10, and it was just last week that he was found competent enough to stand trial.
Tom currently lives in the memory ward of a nursing home in Orange County. The alleged embezzlement happened between 2010 and 2020. He is facing multiple counts of wire fraud, with each count carrying up to 20 years of prison time. If convicted, he is expected to spend at least a couple of years behind bars.
