Disbarred, bankrupt lawyer Girardi charged with client theft
By BRIAN MELLEY and KATHLEEN FOODY
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disgraced Los Angeles celebrity lawyer Tom Girardi has been indicted in Los Angeles and Chicago on charges of stealing more than $18 million from clients. The charges mark the latest in a string of legal disasters for a once powerful player who rubbed elbows with politicians and celebrities as one of the nation’s most prominent plaintiff’s lawyers, known for winning settlements such as the one portrayed in the movie “Erin Brockovich.” Federal prosecutors say the schemes included stealing funds from clients injured in car and boat crashes and some who lost family members in a 2018 Lion Air crash that killed 189 people.