An investigator in the bankruptcy trial of Tom Girardi and his estranged wife Erika Jayne says he wants to take into account ‘inconsistent statements’ the reality star has made on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
The 50-year-old singer and her estranged husband Tom Girardi, 82, are both currently facing claims of allegedly embezzling settlement funds that were meant to help the families of plane crash victims.
Investigator Ronald Richards told UsWeekly on Friday: ‘There’s a lot of inconsistent statements and admissions made by the non-scripted actors that we’re putting together to use in court.’
Asked whether the attorney has seen ‘a lot of inconsistencies with the story’ being told on RHOBH in regards to Erika and Tom’s lawsuit and financial woes, Richards said: ‘That’s correct.’
Hot water: Erika Jayne investigator want to use ‘inconsistent statements’ she made on RHOBH about estranged husband Tom Girardi’s embezzlement scandal (Pictured on Friday in LA)
Richards added that his team is ‘going to take discovery from people that used to work for her.’
The attorney also added that Jayne, her former employees, and her costars could be called in for questioning, though it is unclear when.
‘There’s a lot of things we’re still trying to uncover,’ he told the outlet. ‘We are going to be deposing her (Erika) at some point, but I want to get all the documents first. What’s important right now is following the money.’
This could make things tense for Erika, who has been very open on the show about the case, recently telling her housewives co-stars: ‘I’d like to know where the money is.’
Written in the stars? The RHOBH star was seen with a Zodiac sign sweater as she stepped out amid the latest news
I said what now? An investigator has claimed they could use statements Erika has made on the Bravo show in her alleged embezzlement trial with estranged husband Tom Girardi
In a separate interview with the outlet Richards says he has found records that indicate Girardi Keese funds were used to buy jewelry, although has yet to find proof that it is connected to Erika.
‘We saw jewelry payments that the firm has bought from a jeweler,’ he told the outlet, adding this in his estimation the purchases were in the ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ range.
This month, Erika addressed the situation when she was grilled by her housewives on the show about the claims.
In hot water: Girardi is currently under investigation amid accusations he ‘misappropriated at least $2 million’ meant for the families of those killed in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia. They’re seen in 2016 above
‘You wanna know who your friends are? Get old and go broke,’ Erika said in a fiery episode.
Kyle Richards, 52, then said, ‘She’s going to have to answer more than she’s comfortable with, because we deserve to know the truth’ while Garcelle Beauvais, 54, passionately told the group, ‘I am not going to s*** on her when she’s at her bottom. That’s not who I am!’
Another scene featured Erika facing her friends during a tense dinner, where Garcelle stated, ‘If what Tom did is true, then f*** Tom.’
In a dramatic moment, Erika declared at the table: ‘If he stole the money then I would like to know where it is.’
Facing the music: This month, Erika addressed the situation when she was grilled by her housewives on the show about the claims.
In December 2020, a federal judge in Chicago froze Girardi’s assets, saying the well-known Los Angeles lawyer had ‘misappropriated at least $2 million’ meant for the families of those killed in the Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia.
In March, the LA Times reported that there had been more than 100 lawsuits filed and multiple complaints made to the California State Bar against Girardi by disgruntled clients who alleged financial wrongdoing and theft.
Jayne has been ‘ordered to turn over financial records’ from her accountant, lawyer and landlord as part of the embezzlement investigation and a bankruptcy trustee is documenting the couple’s assets.
Secrets of the show: Will Erika’s past comments come back to haunt her?
It’s been alleged that the split provided a way for the couple to embezzle funds and that Jayne had received ‘tens of millions of dollars’ from her husband’s firm to fund her projects, UsWeekly reported in June.
Girardi’s lawyers claimed earlier this year that he had ‘issues’ with ‘mental competence’ and it was subsequently disclosed that he had been diagnosed with dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Wednesdays at 8pm on Bravo.