BREAKING: Democratic Donor Directly Associated With Joe Biden Embezzles Over $15 Million, Indicted On Multiple Federal Charges

Credit: Artnet News

A former lawyer and significant donor to the Democratic Party and fundraiser for President Joe Biden has been indicted on multiple federal charges, including embezzling money from clients.

According to a Justice Department press release, Tom Girardi, 83, was indicted by federal grand juries in two states for allegedly embezzling more than $18 million from clients. 

The department also noted that he was charged in Los Angeles with five counts of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

Fox News reported that the charges “were part of an indictment accusing him of embezzling more than $15 million from clients and using the funds to cover his law firm’s payroll and pay his personal expenses.”

The case also includes charges against Christopher Kamon, the former chief financial officer of Girardi’s LA-based law firm, Girardi Keese. The charges indicate that they” ‘devised, participated in, and executed a scheme to defraud victim clients’ until the firm collapsed in late 2020.”

Fox News also reported:

In Chicago, meanwhile, Girardi, his son-in-law David Lira, and Kamon were charged with eight counts of wire fraud and four counts of contempt of court. Prosecutors allege the trio stole more than $3 million in settlement funds meant for family members of those who died in a Boeing plane crash off the coast of Indonesia.

Wednesday’s indictments mark the latest chapter in the remarkable downfall of Girardi, who was one of the most prominent attorneys in L.A. before being disbarred in disgrace in California last year.

Girardi was a staple in the Democratic circles for years, and he forged very close ties with several influential party figures at every level of government.

The indicted former lawyer, his employees, and his relatives gave a combined $7.5 million in contributions to candidates and political action committees.

The majority of the funds went to Democratic candidates, including President Biden. Girardi hosted a lavish fundraiser in L.A. for him during the 2020 election cycle.

Fox News also shared that Girardi gave tens of thousands of dollars to other politicians, including Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and Gavin Newsom.

Fox News shared, “In addition to Biden, Girardi has given tens of thousands of dollars each to the likes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and a host of other elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels,” Fox News reported. “California Gov. Gavin Newsom received a total of $87,600 from Girardi for his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and a total of $8,500 for his 2014 lieutenant governor campaign, campaign finance records show.”

For almost a decade, the indicted attorney and his estranged wife, Erika Jayne, a wife on the reality T.V. show “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” gave out more than $2 million to the Democratic party.

He had access to top Democrats in California and Washington, D.C.