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The court on Monday ordered Tom Girardi to undergo a mental competency test to determine his intellectual capacity. A frail Tom Girardi appeared in court this week in the custody of his brother, where the judge delivered the ruling. Get the details below.
Tom Girardi To Undergo A Mental Competency Test
A frail Tom Girardi went to the Los Angeles Federal court on Monday, February 6, where the judge ordered him to go for a psychiatric evaluation.
Against the custom, United States Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson entered a not-guilty plea on Tom’s behalf.
Tom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in March 2021, so the initial bond hearing and arraignment went differently.
The judge also sealed all records of his mental health, according to Page Six. In addition, she set the disbarred attorney’s bond at $250,000.
Judge Stevenson did this under the condition that his brother-turned-conservator, Robert Girardi, will have custody over him.
The judge further put forward a few conditions. She forbade Tom from leaving the Central District of California and ordered him to turn over his passports and other travel documents.
She also ordered him not to have contact with any of the alleged victims or witnesses associated with the case.
In those regards, the defendant, who resides at a senior living facility, will not have to wear an electronic monitor.
Furthermore, Judge Stevenson granted him rights to a public defender going on his financial affidavit. Deputy Federal Public Defenders Craig Harbaugh and Georgina Wakefield will represent the indicted scammer.
A Jury Indicted Frail Tom Girardi
Before Tom Girardi’s mental competency test order, a grand jury indicted the 83-year-old last week. They found him guilty of five counts of wire fraud charges for allegedly embezzling over $15 million from his clients.
According to the Department of Justice, Tom and Christopher Kazuo Kamon allegedly orchestrated “elaborate” lies to misappropriate their clients’ settlement funds.
Christopher is the former CFO of the now-defunct law firm Girardi & Keese and is currently in federal custody.
The DOJ accused the pair of using their clients’ winnings to fund payroll, personal expenses, and other clients’ settlement funds that were previously misappropriated.
The indictment came almost three months after the discovery that Tom got away with “serious failures” throughout his lengthy legal career. The news got out that the State Bar of California received hundreds of complaints against him but didn’t take appropriate action.
Meanwhile, the IRS Criminal Investigation agency and the FBI are probing the case against Tom. The federal agencies are also collaborating with the Office of the US Trustee. If found guilty, Tom could face up to 20 years in prison.
After Tom Girardi’s mental competency test, he is slated to appear before a new judge. It remains to be seen what the final verdict will be seeing as he may need intensive care.