Pod Insights Scamfluencers ENCORE: The Pop Star and the Power Broker: Part 1 | 171 About this episode We’ll be back in four weeks with all-new Scamfluencers episodes. In the meantime, we’re returning to one of our favorites.
Tom Girardi dreams of being a do-gooder lawyer like his childhood hero on the TV show “Perry Mason.” When he starts his own legal firm in the 1960s, he does just that, representing clients against the huge corporations that wronged them. One of his biggest cases even gets the Hollywood treatment in the movie “Erin Brockovich.” But behind the scenes, Tom isn’t the hero he makes himself out to be. And when his extravagant home life with wife Erika Jayne gets broadcast on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” his fraudulent schemes will finally come under the microscope.
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Transcript 7,481 words · 17 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Sarah Hagi? Audible subscribers can listen to all our episodes of Scamfluencers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. We'll be back very soon with brand-new episodes of Scamfluencers, but today, we're revisiting one of the stories closest to our hearts, the story of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills power couple Erica Jane and Tom Girardi. Tom was a high-powered lawyer in L.A. He built a reputation as someone willing to take on mega corporations on behalf of his clients, winning them millions. He used his personal fortune to launch Erica Jane's singing career, and they both flaunted their fabulous lifestyle on Bravo for the world to see. And let's face it, Erica Jane was and is a star.
0:45 Scaachi Koul? Instant classic housewife. It is so unfortunate what happened to her.
0:50 Sarah Hagi? Oh, it is very unfortunate. And after decades as one of California's most respected and feared lawyers, some of Tom's clients made explosive claims that he was stealing their settlement money. As more and more clients spoke out, Tom's legal empire collapsed and his decades-long grift was exposed. Tom's firm went under, Erica Jane left him, and he was found guilty of embezzling millions. Tom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and his lawyers asked that he be allowed to serve his sentence in a memory care nursing home. But there was a lot of speculation about his mental state and whether he was using his diagnosis to avoid consequences. Well, in June 2025, a federal judge ruled
1:33 Sarah Hagi? that Tom will serve his sentence behind bars. And recently, on the Diamonds in the Rough podcast, Erica Jane said she heard about Tom's sentencing 10 minutes before performing a show in London. Can you read what she said about her reactions, Aji?
1:48 Scaachi Koul? She said, "It is something that I had a sold-out show in a theater just for me, and I was so grateful. My happiest place in the whole world to be is onstage. So while I was happy, there's a little piece of me that was like, ugh."
2:04 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, I mean, that is some real cognitive dissonance there. Yeah, I mean, she was married to him for so long. Yeah. Well, at least she's been able to find comfort in a former Army Special Operations Sergeant Major known as the Sheriff of Baghdad. Stay tuned for all the madness of this disgraced power couple. And we'll be back very soon with even more twisted scam stories.
2:36 Sarah Hagi? Sachi, what would you name your pop star alter ego? Hmm, pig bitch. Honestly, I knew it was gonna be something gross. I was expecting like butt lover, I don't know. Yeah, I don't know why you asked me. It's because in the story I'm about to tell you, a housewife transforms into a pop star named Erica Jane. And Sachi, I know you might think you know the story, but she is really just the smallest piece of it.
3:11 Sarah Hagi? It's a sunny Southern California day sometime around 2015 or early 2016. Lisa Vanderpump and her husband are being chauffeured in their black SUV up the driveway of an enormous Pasadena mansion. As Lisa climbs the stone steps, a camera crew follows behind. Lisa is a brunette who wears a chic black cocktail dress with oversized diamond-encrusted bracelets. She's a wealthy restaurateur and the matriarch of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She's here to meet the show's newest castmate Erica and her husband, Tom Girardi. Erica opens the front door wearing a black mini dress that's conservative yet sexy.
3:52 Sarah Hagi? She's a pop star and she has platinum, and I mean platinum, blonde hair. Erica pours a mal wine and takes Lisa and her husband on a tour of her home. It's ostentatious, even by Real Housewives standards. It's a 10,000-square-foot mansion built in 1928. The interior has lots of chandeliers and brownie gold textiles, and it sits on two acres of land with a garden designed by the same firm that planned Central Park. Their first stop, the library, has fireplaces at either end of the room. Sexy portraits of Erika hang over each one. The tour continues with Erika showing off a small, high-ceilinged room with frescoes and carved crosses.
4:37 Sarah Hagi? Yes, Sachi, it is a chapel. On the show, Lisa's visibly surprised and has questions about it.
4:44 Speaker 02 Why is there a chapel up there? Because, you know, I'm a spiritual person and I wanted to... Did you put this in? Yes, I did.
4:50 Scaachi Koul? God, the dumb shit rich people buy with their riches.
4:54 Sarah Hagi? I know, and I also know you do remember this, and it was crazy to witness on TV.
4:59 Scaachi Koul? Imprinted in the underside of my eyelids.
5:03 Sarah Hagi? Well, Erika has had several number-one singles on Billboard's Dance Club Chart, but she didn't pay for this mansion. Her husband, Tom, did. He's a legendary Los Angeles attorney known for defending the little guy against big corporations. His claim to fame is that he helped Aaron Brockovich in the case that was turned into the Julia Roberts movie. Tom's mostly quiet during this visit with Lisa Vanderpump, but the luxury on display in his home seems at odds with the type of do-gooder legal work that built his towering reputation. Because it turns out, Tom's career helping others seems to be about helping himself. For years, he's been accused of stealing from his clients, people like burn victims and orphans.
5:46 Sarah Hagi? And now that his and Erika's opulent lifestyle is being televised, it's about to come under the microscope. And when it does, it'll tank Tom's reputation and fuel one of the biggest scandals in Housewives history.
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6:33 Speaker 04 I'm Lauren Malloy, the host of the podcast My Mom's Murder. For 30 years, I thought my mom died of natural causes. That's what everyone told me. That's what I believed. Until one day, I got a phone call that changed everything. A woman claiming to be my mom's best friend told me my mother was murdered and that no one had ever investigated it. So I did what the detectives wouldn't, pulled the threads, knocked on doors, and confronted the contradictions. And what I found, it's worse than I imagined. Something happened to my mom. Someone killed her. And I won't stop until I find out who.
7:15 Speaker 04 The system may have given up on my mom, but I never will. Listen to My Mom's Murder wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all 10 episodes early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
7:37 Sarah Hagi? From Wondery, I'm Sarah Haggie. And I'm Sachi Cole. And this is Scamfluencers.
7:51 Sarah Hagi? Tom Girardi had a reputation as the heroic lawyer getting justice for the underdogs. And Erica Girardi was a globe-trotting pop star. But behind that shiny facade was a dark reality. For this lion of California law and his fabulous famous housewife, things are about to get all too real. This is episode one of a two-part series. I'm calling it "The Power Broker and the Pop Star."
8:24 Sarah Hagi? Tom's legal aspirations date back at least to 1957. It's the year he graduates high school in Los Angeles and starts attending Loyola Marymount University with the goal of going to law school. He's 18 years old, handsome and clean-cut, sporting close-cropped hair. Tom wants to follow in the footsteps of his hero, fictional lawyer Perry Mason. Perry Mason is a legal drama set in Los Angeles. And in it, defense attorney Perry Mason takes on difficult cases, always sticking up for the underdog. He's exactly the type of guy Tom aspires to be. Here's what Tom tells the International Association of Top Professionals years later.
9:05 Speaker 05 I watched that show for two decades. I thought, man, to ever be like Perry would really be great.
9:12 Sarah Hagi? After undergrad, Tom graduates from law school and starts out as a trial lawyer. Think slip and falls, car accidents, and medical malpractice. Then, in 1965, he starts a firm with an attorney named Robert Kies. They call it Girardi and Kies. About five years later, Tom wins a $1.4 million verdict, the biggest malpractice decision in California at the time. He's also getting chummy with politicians like Jerry Brown. He works to get him elected governor of California in 1975, and later brags about influencing him to make judicial appointments. When asked about this claim, a spokesperson for Brown told the LA Times that Tom was,
9:56 Sarah Hagi? quote, "just one of hundreds who offered an opinion on judicial candidates."
9:59 Scaachi Koul? You know, I thought I knew a lot about Tom Girardi, but I didn't know how much political capital he used to have.
10:08 Sarah Hagi? Sachi, this is just the beginning. Over time, Tom starts to focus on toxic torts, lawsuits where victims allege damage from chemicals and pollutants. Years later, Tom talked about that transition in an interview with the International Association of Top Professionals.
10:26 Speaker 05 You know, when I was a baby lawyer, none of my cases had a moral aspect to them. The lady slipped and fell in the ice cream at the drugstore. They didn't want her to slip and fall. Now, in almost all these cases, there's a moral aspect.
10:40 Sarah Hagi? One of the most high-profile examples of these cases comes in the early 90s, when Tom represents more than 600 Lockheed employees. The employees allege they were exposed to toxic chemicals while building stealth bombers. In one of the jury cases representing 38 of the workers, Tom wins a $380 million verdict. That's a huge payout for the victims and for Tom's firm. Thanks to massive wins like this one, Tom's living an increasingly big-budget lifestyle. He's become "fly your friends to the World Series in a private jet" type rich. He's spent decades building a reputation as the best in his field, and it's this reputation
11:23 Sarah Hagi? that leads a young, single mom to ask for his help with a case of a lifetime.
11:33 Sarah Hagi? It's the spring of 1993. I imagine Erin Brockovich is sitting in a bougie conference room with Tom Girardi. Erin is a legal clerk, and she's disarming and direct. She's beautiful, with big blond hair, big jewelry, and by her own description, big boobs. Beside her is her boss, Ed Masri, who is in his 60s with big glasses and a pretty good head of hair himself. He runs a small law firm in Westlake Village, just north of Los Angeles. Erin and Ed are here to talk to Tom about a case they need help with. Sachi, what do you know about the very famous Erin Brockovich case?
12:12 Scaachi Koul? Oh, I have seen the movie Erin Brockovich a lot. I can probably recite the two different number monologues she gives, the one that she gives to Erin Eckhart, and then the one that she does later with the phone numbers.
12:26 Sarah Hagi? Yeah.
12:27 Scaachi Koul? Very important, very formative.
12:28 Sarah Hagi? I have her phone number. You want her number, too? I'll tell you everything.
12:31 Scaachi Koul? I love her. I love her.
12:36 Sarah Hagi? Well, for those who don't know, the gist of it is this. In the 50s and 60s, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, OR, PG&E, dumped hundreds of millions of gallons of chromium-tainted water into unlined holding ponds. The contamination leaked into the water supply of a California town called Hinckley. In the following decades, residents started getting cancer and other health issues. They think that chromium in their water is making them sick. Ed and Erin know they have a big case. But as more plaintiffs join, it gets overwhelming. They need a legal heavyweight on their team. By this point, Tom has sued insurance companies and oil and chemical companies.
13:19 Sarah Hagi? And after hearing about this PG&E case, he joins the team. Tom and his firm start working on the case, interviewing plaintiffs, gathering documentation, and negotiating with PG&E. And in 1996, three years after Girardi became involved, they forced PG&E to settle for $333 million. Erin talked about Tom's role in the case in an interview decades later.
13:45 Speaker 06 You know, I just certainly didn't do Hinckley alone. Had the law firms not come together, and the people, and all of us in sync, it wouldn't have turned out this way.
13:56 Sarah Hagi? Tom's career is cruising, but his personal life has hit the skids. He's headed for a messy divorce from his second wife. But soon, a new romantic match is about to rock his world.
14:13 Sarah Hagi? It's the late 90s, about two years after the PG&E settlement. Erica Chahoy is in her late 20s. She's working as a cocktail waitress in LA while trying to make it as an actor. She's a natural beauty with blonde hair and skin as smooth as a Neutrogena commercial. Sachi, just so you know, a lot of our details about Erica's life at this time come from her memoir, Pretty Mess. We reached out to Erica's lawyer, and he did not respond to the request for comment. In her memoir, Erica writes that she grew up in Georgia. After graduating, she moved to New York to chase her dreams. She booked some roles, like playing the very first character to die on Law & Order.
14:56 Scaachi Koul? Gotta give it to her.
14:57 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, this is one of the most iconic things a housewife has ever done, a person has ever done, being the first corpse.
15:04 Scaachi Koul? Yeah.
15:05 Sarah Hagi? And while in New York, Erica got married and had a son. But she and her husband divorced about 18 months later. Erica writes in her book that she saw this as the push she needed to head to Hollywood. She left her son behind with his dad, and now she's in LA, working at a restaurant called Chasen's. It just so happens to have a powerful investor and patron named Tom Girardi. Tom's around 60 at this time, and he's often at Chasen's upstairs club, holding court with other lawyers, journalists, and politicians, people he hopes to get on his side. And he catches Erica's eye. Here's how she describes the attraction in the audiobook of Pretty Mess.
15:46 Speaker 02 When he spoke, he made me feel like I was the only person in the room. Heck, he made me feel like I was the only person in the world. It was inspirational.
15:56 Sarah Hagi? While Erica says she makes the first move, she slips Tom her number. Things progress quickly, and just a few months later, Erica moves into Tom's mansion. He suggests she quit her job, and she agrees. On her last shift, she dramatically dumps her uniform in the garbage bin. She's about to put her acting ambitions on hold to be Tom's wife. But Tom's about to bring her into the celebrity spotlight.
16:25 Sarah Hagi? In January 2000, about two years after they meet, Erica gets a call from Tom, who is now her fiance. Erica writes in her memoir that Tom's calling with exciting news. He says at his friend, Judge Paul Flynn can marry them that day. Judge Flynn is just one of Tom's many friends slash colleagues. He actually oversaw Snoop Dogg's 1995 murder trial. Snoop, by the way, was acquitted. Since both Tom and Erica have previously been married, they want to keep the ceremony low key. Erica goes to the Gucci store and picks out a long silvery satin dress. When they arrive at the Los Angeles Country Club, Judge Flynn walks off the green, all casual,
17:09 Sarah Hagi? and puts on a robe over his golf clothes. One of the witnesses is Tom's best friend, Robert Baker. Robert unsuccessfully defended OJ Simpson in a wrongful death civil suit. Tom and Erica are married in a small reading room at the Los Angeles Country Club. Then, they hop on their jet and fly to Las Vegas to have dinner at their favorite restaurant. And they never sign a prenup. Here's Erica explaining why in her audiobook.
17:37 Speaker 02 Mr. Girardi knows the law so well that a prenup is not going to do shit. As any lawyer will tell you, there is always a way around a prenup, even if you think it's ironclad. Tom was going to protect himself no matter what. And what did I need to protect? The little red convertible and trash bags full of clothes I rolled up with?
17:56 Sarah Hagi? Woof. When you think about the financial burdens that people put themselves through in order to get married, it is crazy that we do it. You're like, hey, I like you so much. I want to carry all your debt forever. Yes. I also would like to say, she's doing a great job reading this audiobook. You feel like she's talking to you. I'm like, yeah, I guess that's true. I'm convinced. I don't know, Sarah. I think she's getting really bad legal advice from her husband, who would be pretty conflicted. Well, regardless, Tom is making a commitment to Erica. But in the end, he's in charge, as Erica explains on one of her first episodes of Real Housewives.
18:40 Speaker 02 Tom is always the boss. As a matter of fact, in my cellphone, it comes up, "The boss. The boss is calling."
18:45 Sarah Hagi? Surrounded by powerful friends in exclusive places, he must feel like he's untouchable. It helps to have judges on call for big, personal moments like this. And for when Tom needs serious professional favors. Because in the background, some less-than-ethical behavior is starting to come to light.
19:09 Sarah Hagi? A couple of months after Tom and Erica get married, reporter Kathleen Sharp is following a major lead. She has light brown, shaggy hair and bangs. She gives off serious journalist vibes. Kathleen's been talking to former plaintiffs in the PG&E case, and she discovers that the case never went to trial. It started in open court, but when the judge assigned to the case retired, Tom told the victims that it could take five more years to get a new trial date. So Tom convinced them to voluntarily enter arbitration. That's where private judges mediate between the two sides in order to reach a settlement. At this time, Tom is still taking on cases where he can flex his trial litigation skills,
19:54 Sarah Hagi? but the arbitration approach has upsides, like control. The process does have quicker settlement times, but arbitration isn't monitored by the government, and judges are incentivized to keep the lawyers happy so they'll be hired again. This shifts the power into the hands of the lawyers and away from the victims they're representing.
20:13 Scaachi Koul? This sounds gross. I love to hear how the legal system can be perverted at every turn.
20:18 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, and there's also a major lack of transparency in private arbitration. The findings aren't made public, so PG&E's role and any scientific evidence uncovered in the case is unknown. That means a huge public safety issue like water contamination is essentially decided in secret by corporations and attorneys like Tom, who represents victims who often don't understand how the legal system works.
20:45 Scaachi Koul? I feel safe. I feel super, super safe.
20:47 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, and Kathleen, the reporter, also uncovers that Tom had personal ties to some of the private judges involved. One even officiated his second wedding, the one right before he married Erica. Side note, we reached out to Tom through his lawyer and did not hear back. After the case wraps, Tom took some of the judges on a Mediterranean cruise, which the judges eventually repaid him for. Here's Kathleen describing it to CNBC's American Greed.
21:17 Speaker 07 There would be butlered waiters with silver trays full of champagne or bikini-clad ladies frolicking on the sun-drenched decks. It gave decadence a bad name.
21:30 Sarah Hagi? One of the plaintiffs in the PG&E case is a woman named Carol Smith. She tells Kathleen she has questions about how the PG&E settlement money was distributed. Payouts supposedly varied based on the medical records of the residents, but Carol says that no one ever asked for hers. And she doesn't understand why her husband, who had 17 tumors removed, got less money than people with similar or less serious health issues. Carol tells Kathleen about other red flags. Like that Girardi case allegedly deducted $10 million in expenses, but never explained where that money went. And some of the victims, who are minors, were allegedly charged way more than California's limit of legal fees.
22:14 Sarah Hagi? Tom's clients are starting to doubt his reputation as a champion of justice. But Tom's ability to create his own myth is about to get supercharged by a star-making turn in Hollywood.
22:31 Speaker 08 Hey, I'm Cassie DePecce, the host of Against the Odds from Audible Originals. In each episode, we share thrilling true stories of survival, putting you in the shoes of the people who live to tell the tale. In our latest series, we track the story of Hugh Glass, the real-life revenant that inspired the 2015 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In 1823, Glass was brutally mauled by a grizzly bear in present-day South Dakota and left for dead. His survival depended on trekking through 350 miles of wilderness alone with grave injuries. But he was driven by his thirst for revenge. Follow Against the Odds wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Against the Odds early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
23:16 Speaker 09 Imagine you're reading Pride and Prejudice, except you're not reading it. Harris Dickinson and Marissa Abella are reading it to you on Audible. Her barbs sting you. His coldness sends a shiver up your spine. Your heart aches. Your ears burn. You yearn for Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to profess their undying love for one another. You can't bear it any longer. Well, maybe a chapter longer. Performance is so good, you'll give love a second chance. Audible. Stories that speak to you.
23:55 Sarah Hagi? Aaron Brockovich is released in movie theaters in March 2000. It's directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Julia Roberts, and immediately has Oscar buzz. Tom Girardi was already wildly successful before the movie comes out, but afterward, it put his firm on the map like never before. The movie is based on the huge case Tom helped the real-life Aaron win against PG&E. There's no character named Tom Girardi in the movie. One character is a composite of him and several other L.A. lawyers. But Tom's name does appear during the end credits under "Special Thanks." In interviews, he says he's on set every day acting as a consultant, and he loves it.
24:39 Sarah Hagi? Later, he tells a reporter about a time he was having dinner with Bill Clinton when Julia Roberts walked over to talk to him because of their time together on set.
24:49 Scaachi Koul? What a lame brag. I like Julia Roberts, too, but you're not gonna catch me out here saying things like that.
24:56 Sarah Hagi? You know what? I say the same thing, but if you say hi to me before a former president, I will tell people.
25:05 Scaachi Koul? Yeah, you know what? You're right, I'm on board. Now I'm on Tom Girardi's side.
25:10 Sarah Hagi? Well, obviously, Tom is loving all of the publicity. And a month after the movie comes out, he gets even more. And this time, it's not so positive. Kathleen publishes another side of the PG&E case. Her article runs on slate.com with the headline, "Aaron Brockovich: The Real Story." In it, she writes about the pitfalls of private arbitration and exposes how Tom took some of the judges on a Mediterranean cruise. According to her reporting, the cruise inspired a study into private arbitration. It's led by the chief justice of the California Supreme Court, Ron George. He recommends that arbiters disclose their relationships with lawyers
25:53 Sarah Hagi? whose cases come before them and not accept gifts. But the Aaron Brockovich movie overshadows Kathleen's reporting. It cements Tom's reputation as a heroic lawyer. Kathleen can probably only watch in frustration as Tom leans harder into his celebrity image. By 2001, he's reportedly taking in more than a quarter of a million dollars every month. His firm expands into a second building on Wilshire Boulevard near downtown LA. But despite how large it's grown, the firm doesn't offer its legal staff the chance to make partner. Tom owns 100% of the corporation. It's an unusual arrangement, and it gives him unchecked power over the company and its finances.
26:38 Sarah Hagi? Even still, new lawyers are clamoring for jobs at the famous firm. Girardi Keys has a great reputation, and its lawyers get deep expense accounts to take clients to games at the Staples Center. Tom even pays for lawyers' luxury cars and a tailor for their suits and shirts. He's come a long way since he was a college kid idolizing Perry Mason. And Erica is there by his side, enjoying his life of luxury. But her ambition is fighting to come out. And when it does, it'll make everything so much more complicated.
27:18 Sarah Hagi? It's around 2008 and Erika Girardi is taking the stage at the Nymphomaniac's Ball in San Francisco. It's a sex party held at a huge old theater turned nightclub called Pleasure Zone. The spotlight reflects off the rhinestones on Erika's blue catsuit. It was made by a designer who's created looks for Britney Spears, Rue Paul, and Michael Jackson. Erika's music career is just starting out, and this is her first gig. The Nymphomaniac Ball is most definitely not a charity board event, but Erika writes that it's not a big scandalous orgy like she imagined. It's mostly couples making out.
27:58 Sarah Hagi? At this time, she's around 35 and has spent eight years being Tom's number one fan. And now, she's ready for some fans of her own. Here she is talking about it in her TED Talk years later. Yes, you heard that right, her TED Talk.
28:13 Speaker 02 I was hiding. I was hiding behind my husband, Tom, a very successful lawyer. And as Tom's wife, I had become Erika Girardi. And I never wanted to say anything disagreeable, and I never wanted to make waves.
28:28 Sarah Hagi? So Erika turns to her first love, performing. She was introduced to a songwriter who penned songs for Madonna, Stevie Nicks, and Britney Spears. And he helped Erika develop an alter ego, Erika Jane. Erika Jane is different from Mrs. Girardi, the picture-perfect housewife. She's a vixen, powerful and unapologetic. Erika describes her return to performing in her memoir, Pretty Mess. Can you read this excerpt, Sachi?
28:57 Scaachi Koul? Yeah, it says, "Without my project, I would have been relegated to a life of shopping, sitting on a few charity boards of no consequence, and standing silently by my husband's side, full of unrealized potential." Oh, that's sad. If she's already thinking about like legacy and potential, like, god, she did not help herself at all. She had all of that money, and like, the best thing she could think to do with it was like, "I'll make myself Madonna."
29:25 Sarah Hagi? Well, when she releases her first single, Roller Coaster, that same year, it hits number one on Billboard's US Dance Club charts. She follows that up with eight more number-one tracks, including "One Hot Pleasure", "Party People", "Ignite the World", and "Painkiller". According to Erica, Tom is incredibly supportive of her career, including financially. And Tom loves to show her off. One time, when hosting an event for the Italian-American Lawyers Association, he makes the entire group watch Erica's latest music video, "One Hot Pleasure".
30:08 Sarah Hagi? I love that this video is both so weird and so Vaseline-covered, but also that Tom is making a bunch of lawyers watch it. Yeah, it's like, he doesn't have to do that. He really is like, "Hey, guys, all right, time to watch the video of my wife doing this." What, are you showing a vacation slideshow when you put this on for people? No, it's worse. It's like coming to work and being like, "Look at the card my kid made." Rumors are starting to swirl about where Tom's getting the cash for this lavish lifestyle and his wife's pop music career. But Tom's host with the most persona has earned him powerful friends and allies,
30:53 Sarah Hagi? the kind of people who can quiet rumors and cut off any potential investigations.
31:04 Sarah Hagi? It's September 2010, and Tom's throwing a big bash at the State Bar of California's annual convention in Monterey. Tonight's guest of honor is Ron George, who's retiring after serving 15 years as the chief justice of the California State Supreme Court. He's the same guy who spearheaded the study into private arbitration after Tom invited all those judges on a cruise. But it seems like there's no love lost between him and Tom. Tom loves throwing extravagant parties with celebrity performers like LeAnn Rimes, Penn and Teller, and Jay Leno. Tonight, he's hired Paul Anka to play under a white tent on the hotel grounds. His firm is footing the bill. But there's a problem.
31:49 Sarah Hagi? Tom's currently under investigation by the California State Bar for deceptive behavior in a case against Dole, the food company. So stick with me here. Ron, the guest of honor, is technically the boss of the California State Bar, which means he's the head of the organization that's currently investigating Tom. So Tom, singing along while Paul Anka serenades Ron with "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," has ethical implications.
32:20 Scaachi Koul? Yeah, I feel ethically compromised just listening to this.
32:24 Sarah Hagi? And sure, Justice George is retiring, but for many of the people invited, this is too much. Some of them decline their invitation or leave early. Ultimately, the private lawyer hired to investigate Tom in the Dole case decides to not pursue charges. And while we don't know if the party had a direct effect on the outcome of this particular case, Tom's coziness with California State Bar staffers raises suspicions. By this point, he's been reported to the bar many, many times. He's alleged to have stolen money from clients' trust accounts, which is a disbarable offense. But Tom manages to keep his record squeaky clean
33:08 Sarah Hagi? thanks to his personal connections. One of those connections is a bar investigator named Tom Layton. Layton's job is to be a legal watchdog for the public. But oh, boy, does Tom Girardi ever spoil this man. According to an LA Times investigation, Tom routinely treats Layton to pricey meals at high-end restaurants and trips on private jets. And when Layton and his wife are sued by their contractor, Girardi Keith allegedly pours resources into the case free of charge. And according to an independent state bar investigation, Tom allegedly gives Layton and his family cash, gifts, and experiences worth over $1 million.
33:52 Sarah Hagi? There are car payments, Vegas vacations, and allegedly, Layton even has a Girardi Keith American Express card.
34:01 Sarah Hagi? Leighton has insisted, under oath, that he never worked on an investigation involving Girardi Keys. But a later California State Bar report suggests that Leighton intimidated people from filing complaints against Tom in the first place. We reached out to Leighton for comment, by the way, and didn't hear back. What is very clear is that the bar fails to take complaints against Tom seriously because of his connections and influence. But all these transactional relationships that are helping Tom avoid big trouble are adding up. And the clients he's allegedly ripping off won't stand to be shoved around forever.
34:43 Sarah Hagi? Around the same time as the state bar conference, Joseph Rugomez is at home in San Bruno in the Bay Area. He's sitting down on the couch with his girlfriend, Jessica Morales, to watch the first game of the NFL season. They're both in their early 20s. Joseph has long brown hair that sits around his shoulders. His deep brown eyes seem to sparkle. Then the ground starts shaking. Joseph and Jessica hear a roar like a jet engine. Fire sweeps through the house. Joseph described the scene in an ABC News special years later.
35:20 Speaker 10 I was surrounded by flame. Managed to find the door to my backyard. And I remember as I was opening up that door, for a split second, I just remember having my light flash in front of me and just thinking like, alright, this is it.
35:31 Sarah Hagi? A gas line ruptured, and the escaping gas erupted into a massive fireball. Joseph's home is at the epicenter of the explosion. Neighbors help firefighters drag hoses thousands of feet to connect to hydrants while people are rushed to the hospital. For more than an hour, the gas leak sent flames billowing up 60 feet in the air. Jessica is one of eight people killed in the fire. Joseph survives, but he's left with burns on over 80% of his body. Once he's stable and recovering in the hospital, his mother Kathy starts asking around for a good lawyer. She's a brunette and has the same bright brown eyes as her son.
36:13 Sarah Hagi? Kathy and her family are gonna need money for Joseph's lifelong medical care. They decide to sue PG&E, the same company that Aaron Brockovich sued. Luckily, Kathy's best friend is a legal consultant who previously worked with Aaron Brockovich's firm, and they connect her with Tom Girardi. According to Kathy, she and her friend go to meet Tom in a big, high-rise office in downtown San Francisco. Tom reassures them that he's gonna land them a big win. They hire him and feel so relieved. Five months later, when Joseph's finally let out of the hospital, he meets with Tom and they hit it off.
36:56 Sarah Hagi? It seems like a legal power player is taking a personal interest in him, the best-case scenario to come from a horrible situation. But Tom isn't the friend and ally they think he is. Joseph is about to become the latest victim caught up in Tom's scam.
37:19 Speaker 11 Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia spent her life exposing powerful people. Then, in 2017, she was killed in a car bombing. I'm Stephen Gray, and for the past nine years, I've been trying to find out who wanted her dead. That search took me to Malta through secret companies, organized crime, and eventually to one of the island's richest and most powerful men. Now, after years of waiting, his trial has finally happened. But when the verdict came in, the case took a turn that almost no one had expected. In a brand-new update to the multi-award-winning podcast Who Killed Daphne?, I'm returning to Malta to find out how we got there and where the search for the truth goes next. Listen to the new episode of Who Killed Daphne? wherever you get your podcasts, and you
38:04 Speaker 11 can hear the full six-part investigation from the beginning, ad-free with Audible. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app and by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
38:18 Speaker 12 There are books that change how you see the world, and there are books that change how you see yourself. In a new podcast series, A Great Book with Barack Obama, President Obama sits down with a series of surprising and sharp guests to explore six books that have shaped his life and perspective on the world. From Song of Solomon and the Fire Next Time, to All the Pretty Horses and Gilead, the president is joined by guests like Tom Hanks and Ta-Nehisi Coates to reflect on how these timeless stories shaped his thinking on everything from fatherhood to leadership, and discover together what they tell us about the world we live in and the world we want to create.
39:02 Speaker 12 Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of A Great Book with Barack Obama ad-free right now, plus access each audiobook discussed in the series. Download the Audible app today.
39:26 Sarah Hagi? Two years after the explosion, state and federal agencies conclude that PG&E's negligence led to the pipe's failure. Joseph's case seems to be heading to trial. But in January 2013, Joseph and his family get word that Tom has settled their case without giving them very many details. Turns out, he took the case into private arbitration, like he did with the Aaron Brockovich case. And, behind closed doors, Tom negotiated a settlement for $11 million. Joseph's pretty happy with the amount. It should cover the medical treatment he'll need for the rest of his life, with money to spare. Tom says it'll take about three months to get his money.
40:11 Sarah Hagi? But soon, Tom has a different proposal for Joseph and the Rue Gomez family. He suggests that they let him invest their millions. He says he can guarantee 6% interest. And almost immediately, things start to feel fishy. Tom becomes hard to get a hold of, and Joseph has to pester him constantly to get any money. Later, in an ABC News special, Joseph talks about how Tom would try to get on his good side.
40:41 Speaker 13 He would butter me up. "You know what, Jo? You're a bitchin' guy." That's something he would say a lot. "You're a bitchin' guy, baby."
40:48 Sarah Hagi? Sometimes, he gets payments as promised, and other times, nothing. Joseph needs the money for his medical procedures. And yet, Tom delays and delays. This goes on for years. But while Joseph struggles to put his life back together and pay for medical expenses, Tom is cementing his influence in the halls of government.
41:15 Sarah Hagi? In 2015, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti appears on Tom's weekly AM radio show. It's called Champions of Justice, and it's syndicated on stations throughout California, plus one in DC.
41:30 Speaker 14 This is Champions of Justice with Tom Girardi.
41:33 Sarah Hagi? Tom regularly books people in the legal field and politicians for casual interviews, like this one with Eric.
41:41 Speaker 05 Mr. Mayor, for you to find a little bit of time to share with us is really nice, and I deeply mean that.
41:47 Speaker 15 Well, thank you, Tom. It's easy when you call. We truly are a champion of justice.
41:53 Sarah Hagi? Tom is a huge donor to Democratic politicians. In exchange, he expects them to be on call for things like radio appearances, or to hear about who Tom wants appointed to the bench. And when there was a superior court seat up for grabs more than a decade earlier, Tom reportedly recommended someone to Senator Dianne Feinstein. It's not uncommon for lawyers to recommend judges, but as is Tom's way, he is always the most extra. The LA Times got a hold of his unpublished memoir where Tom brags about his political influence. Sachi, can you read this excerpt from Tom's memoir?
42:32 Scaachi Koul? It says, "I make no bones about influencing judicial appointments. Awful, you say? Unethical? Well, who better to recommend a man to the bench than someone who works with him every day?" Well, you know, the important thing is he asked the rhetorical question to himself and then did not answer it.
42:50 Sarah Hagi? It's kind of like, you guys don't really understand this. I'm the best person to recommend these people who, do you want someone else doing it? He just is smarter than us. Well, Tom has a real hand in making sure he sees a friendly face looking back at him from the judge's bench when he goes into court. With friends like these, who's going to hold him accountable for his bad behavior? He's built a shield of invincibility around him. And it's so strong that he isn't afraid to enter the primetime TV spotlight when a huge opportunity comes for Erica. He's about to be known in a whole new way. It's been three years since Tom settled with PG&E on behalf of burned victim Joseph
43:35 Sarah Hagi? Ruiz Gomez. Erica is on set shooting a music video. She's wearing a baby blue lingerie set. Her hair is big, curly, and platinum. She's transformed herself into her alter ego, Erica Jane. And she's filming a sexy pillow fight with two of her dancers while her newest song plays on a loop. Sachi, you know this song as well as I do. It's called "Expensive." That's spelled with two X's and a dollar sign. It's the follow-up single to her song, "How Many," about how many fucks she gives. Spoiler: none. Here's a little taste.
44:11 Scaachi Koul? (Singing) King, it's expensive to be mad. One of the worst songs ever made, and I love it. Anytime you buy, like, an iced coffee, anytime something costs more than $18, this song plays in my head.
44:29 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, and you know what? She isn't lying. She says she spends upwards of $40,000 a month just on her hair, makeup, and clothes. Erica and the dancers play on a bed littered with paper bills that fly up and around them as they laugh. Behind the camera, her creative director shouts encouragement.
44:59 Sarah Hagi? Sachi, doesn't it sound just like being in a Scamfluencers recording session?
45:03 Scaachi Koul? Yeah, that's always the stuff we cut out. People don't get to hear it.
45:07 Sarah Hagi? Anyway, we know this is what it's like on set because it's all being captured for the seventh season of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Erica said she planned to retire her Erica Jane alter ego before she was cast on the show. It had been costing her and Tom too much money. But being on The Real Housewives has given her a new platform and a new source of income for her music career.
45:32 Scaachi Koul? You know, a lot of the women of The Housewives have like interesting fake jobs, but I think fake pop star is my favorite one. And it is a classic, but I think Erica was the one spending the most amount of money on it for sure.
45:46 Sarah Hagi? Oh, my God, totally. Even some of the Housewives who are rich themselves are astounded by her lifestyle. In one of her first appearances on the show, Erica talks about how they have two planes, one for local johns and another for international travel. Bravo viewers like us eat it up, but some of Tom's legal colleagues see it as poor taste for him to be this flashy with his money.
46:08 Scaachi Koul? It's really bonkers that these two would go on reality TV when they were living in a house of cards, but I guess it speaks to how much arrogance Tom had, like he really thought he was untouchable.
46:20 Sarah Hagi? Yeah, it's very clear that Tom never thought he would face any consequences, even when he was flaunting all of his wealth on TV. He has a lot of influential friends, but he also has a powerful adversary. And in the next episode of this two-part series, he's gonna come for Tom, toppling the empire he's built and the pop star lifestyle he's been bankrolling.
46:48 Scaachi Koul? Follow Scamfluencers on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Scamfluencers ad-free by joining Audible.
46:59 Sarah Hagi? This is The Power Broker and the Pop Star, Part One. I'm Sarah Haggie.
47:05 Scaachi Koul? And I'm Sachi Cole. We use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were ABC News originals "Housewife and the Hustler," CNBC's "American Breed," Aaron Brockovich's "The Real Story," and Salon by Kathleen Sharp, "Gerardi Gained Their Trust But Left Them With Regret" by Brandon Lowry and Ryan Boisson for Law 360, and the investigative work of the Los Angeles Times reporters Harriet Ryan and Matt Hamilton.
47:30 Sarah Hagi? Jessica Ford wrote this episode. Additional writing by us, Sachi Cole and Sarah Haggie. Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our producer is John Reed. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Lexi Peery. Our story editor and producer is Sarah Enne. Eric Thuram is our story editor. Sound design is by Sam Ada. Fact checking by Will Tablin. Additional audio assistance provided by Adrian Tapia. Our music supervisor is Scott Velazquez for Free Sound Sync. Our coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock. Our managing producer is Matt Gant, and our senior managing producer is Ryan Lor. Kate Young and Olivia Richard
48:14 Sarah Hagi? are our series producers. Our senior story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Our senior producer is Ginny Bloom. Our executive producers are Janine Cornolo, Stephanie Jens, Jenny Lauer Beckman, and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
48:41 Speaker 16 I'm Gemma Whelan, and in the new season of The Spy Who, we tell the story of the original femme fatale, the spy who was Mata Hari. A famous dancer turned World War I secret agent, accused of seducing Allied officers to uncover their plans. But was she a temptress or a scapegoat for French failures? Follow The Spy Who now, wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to the full season of The Spy Who Was Mata Hari, early and at free on Audible.
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