Former Plaintiffs Attorney Tom Girardi Sentenced to 87 Months for Embezzling Client Settlements

Published Nov. 6, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

Injured clients often wait years for settlement checks that are supposed to sit safely in a lawyer's trust account. On June 3, 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced that disbarred plaintiffs' personal injury attorney Thomas Vincent Girardi, 86, formerly of Pasadena and then of Seal Beach, had been sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for leading a years-long scheme to embezzle tens of millions of dollars in settlement money belonging to his clients [1].

Status: A jury found Girardi guilty in August 2024 of four counts of wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton also ordered a $35,000 fine and $2,310,247 in restitution, and ordered him to surrender by July 17, 2025 [1].

What prosecutors described

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office [1], Girardi embezzled settlement money that belonged to injured clients, some of whom were awaiting payment for treatment of severe physical injuries. The release describes a years-long scheme involving tens of millions of dollars.

The person sentenced

Thomas Vincent Girardi, 86. Disbarred plaintiffs' attorney. Convicted of four counts of wire fraud; sentenced to 87 months; fine $35,000; restitution $2,310,247 [1].

Red flags for personal-injury settlements

These are general warning signs, not claims about any client in this case.

• Long delays in receiving settlement funds with no clear trust-account accounting.
• A lawyer who will not show you the settlement check or wire confirmation.
• Pressure to accept partial payments without a written disbursement statement.

What to do

• Demand a written settlement disbursement sheet and trust-account ledger.
• Report suspected theft to your state bar and the FBI at ic3.gov.

Case status (as of Nov. 6, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Thomas Vincent Girardi, 86	U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal. (Judge Josephine L. Staton)	Jury convicted Aug. 2024 (4 counts wire fraud); sentenced June 3, 2025 to 87 months; fine $35,000; restitution $2,310,247	[1]

Statuses can change, including through appeal.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, "Former Plaintiffs' Lawyer Tom Girardi Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison for Swindling Tens of Millions of Dollars from Injured Clients," June 3, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/former-plaintiffs-lawyer-tom-girardi-sentenced-more-7-years-prison-swindling-tens