Disgraced authorized legend Tom Girardi will face a jury in Los Angeles this spring on expenses he stole tens of millions from shoppers, a federal choose dominated Wednesday.
U.S. District Decide Josephine Staton ordered a Could 21 begin for the trial over the objections of Girardi’s protection attorneys, who stated they want a yr to organize.
“It doesn’t look like an unusually advanced trial,” stated Staton, including, “It’s much more simple than most of the circumstances the court docket has.”
Although the prosecution has alleged a fraud scheme on the regulation agency Girardi Keese that stretched again a long time and concerned greater than $100 million, the case headed for trial considerations solely 5 shoppers and $15 million. Prosecutors stated they might current their complete case to a jury in lower than 5 days.
Girardi, 84, was not in court docket for the listening to. Final week, the choose discovered him competent to face trial, rejecting his authorized workforce’s assertion that he has profound dementia.
In a submitting, his legal professionals from the Federal Public Defender’s Workplace stated that they nonetheless imagine that he’s unable to grasp the costs or help together with his protection. However given the court docket’s ruling, they stated, they’re “making an attempt to deal with Mr. Girardi as if he had been competent.”
Prosecutors have stated Girardi’s reminiscence loss is delicate, although progressively worsening, and in court docket Wednesday they cited his prognosis in arguing for an early trial date. Assistant U.S. Atty. Ali Moghaddas instructed the choose that delays might end in a brand new spherical of competency proceedings, pushing again the trial much more.
“The very last thing the federal government desires is to place this off,” Moghaddas stated, noting that the alleged victims had a proper to a decision.
Girardi shall be tried alongside his regulation agency’s former chief monetary officer, Chris Kamon, who has been accused of operating a $10-million “facet fraud” that entailed embezzling the regulation agency’s cash to fund a lavish way of life.
Kamon’s legal professional, Michael Severo, instructed the choose Wednesday that his consumer had no objection to a Could 21 trial. Kamon has been held in federal custody since his arrest in November 2022.
Girardi, Kamon and Girardi’s son-in-law, David Lira, face a second indictment in Chicago on fraud expenses associated to $3 million that prosecutors allege was misappropriated from a settlement with Indonesian widows and orphans.
