--- title: "RHOBH: Tom Girardi Testifies in Fraud Case Despite Dementia; Denies Stealing Millions" url: https://allabouttrh.com/2024/08/26/rhobh-tom-girardi-testifies-fraud/ type: post date: 2024-08-26 modified: 2024-08-26 markdown_url: https://allabouttrh.com/2024/08/26/rhobh-tom-girardi-testifies-fraud.md author: "Lara Sophia" --- # RHOBH: Tom Girardi Testifies in Fraud Case Despite Dementia; Denies Stealing Millions ## Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of RHOBH star Erika Jayne, testified on Thursday in his long-awaited criminal fraud trial despite being diagnosed with dementia. On Thursday, [Tom Girardi](https://allabouttrh.com/?s=tom+girardi)took the stand to be cross-examined in his long-awaited criminal fraud trial. This move shocked many as the former RHOBH staple was [diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer's disease](https://allabouttrh.com/2024/01/06/rhobh-tom-girardi-competent-trial-2/) and dementia three years prior. The former head of the dismantled Girardi & Keese law firm is being sued for allegedly embezzling $15 million from his clients from 2010 to 2020. Tom Girardi has emphatically denied any wrongdoing and kept to that story on the stand, insisting that he would *NEVER* take money from anyone. ![Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi](https://allabouttrh.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/tom-erika-girardi.jpg)Erika Jayne and Tom Girardi ***“The last thing I would do would be to take someone’s money,”*** Tom Girardi said while on the stand in a downtown Los Angeles courthouse. ***“I wouldn’t think of it.” *** He also reportedly said numerous times during his testimonial that he never gave himself a salary. When asked about the missing settlement funds, Tom claimed he never lied about how much his former clients were owed. The disgraced attorney also denied telling one client, Joe Ruigomez, a young man who was severely burned due to a gas line explosion, that his settlement was for $5 million instead of $53 million. ![Erika Jayne embraces Tom Girardi as he heads to the office on RHOBH.](https://allabouttrh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/dish-032316-erika-tom-girardi.jpg) ***“I wouldn’t have said that,”*** Tom said. *** “I didn’t intentionally ever tell anyone the wrong thing.”*** According to *[Courthouse News Service](https://www.courthousenews.com/)*, evidence from the Internal Revenue Service shows that money from Ruigmomez's settlement was ***"almost immediately"*** spent on repaying Tom's previous clients. Lawyers from both sides are set to make their closing statement on Monday. Tom has been charged with four counts of fraud and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count. Stay glued to *AllAboutTRH* for all the latest news and gossip. *[The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills](https://allabouttrh.com/category/the-real-housewives-of-beverly-hills/)* is expected to return for [season 14](https://allabouttrh.com/2024/05/13/rhobh-filming-for-s14-begins/) in late 2024 or early 2025. ## Thoughts on this all? Sound off below!