Danielle Staub slammed Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne for her current embezzlement scandal with estranged husband Tom Girardi.
The former Real Housewives of New Jersey star suggested that the Pretty Mess singer give up her luxurious lifestyle and repay the millions allegedly owed to Girardi's former clients.
“Erika has put herself in a position to be judged,” Danielle told DailyMailTV. “I think that she's handling it very poorly.”
“I would have been impressed if [Erika] said, "Oh, my God, like, I never thought of that. Yeah, take my jewelry, give it back to them," ” Danielle said, suggesting that Erika should sell off some of her pricier assets to reimburse the alleged victims.
“That would have impressed me, that would have redeemed her in my book,“ she continued. “But, when you knowingly have caused harm to not just widows and not just orphans, but a multitude of people - who have videotapes of them - it just .. it cuts me some place very deep because I don't come from that.”
She added, “$26million that was stolen from people? I'm sorry, that's … that’s a lot of money that doesn't belong to you,” Staub told DailyMailTV. “Shame on Bravo and NBCUniversal for promoting it and monetizing off of it. This is not a joke. These are people's lives.”
As previously reported, it was revealed this week that the Pretty Mess author may have to repay settlement funds intended for her estranged husband’s former clients amid allegations that Tom’s firm gave Erika’s companies $20 million over the years. The Ruigomez family, who were featured in Hulu’s The Housewife and the Hustler, can pursue a collections lawsuit against Erika to obtain the $11 million they are owed from Tom.
“The Ruigomez Family, the Girardi Trustee and the GK Trustee shall cooperate with each other with their collection efforts against Erika,” the court documents obtained by Us Weekly read.
Erika and Tom made headlines in November 2020 when the Bravo reality star filed for divorce after 20 years of marriage. The following month, the estranged couple was sued for fraud and embezzlement.
In addition to accusing them of swindling $2 million in settlement funds intended for families of victims of a 2018 plane crash, class action firm Edelson PC claimed in federal court documents that the divorce was “simply a sham attempt to fraudulently protect Tom’s and Erika’s money from those that seek to collect on debts owed by Tom and his law firm.”
Tom faced a second lawsuit later that month, alleging that his company breached a written agreement and conversation with Wells Fargo Vendor Financial Services. The bank sought immediate payment on the $882,715 outstanding bill.
In September 2020, Tom told the court that he lost millions of dollars and has “no money” left. The 82-yar-old was placed under a temporary conservatorship in February when his brother assumed control of his daily activities and personal care. One of Tom’s attorneys claimed in court in December 2020 that he was hospitalized for a “serious illness,” raising questions about his mental competency. Court documents revealed in March that Tom was diagnosed with late-onset Alzheimer’s and dementia.
However, in July 2021, a judge ruled that some former clients of Tom can pursue a collections lawsuit against Erika. According to court records obtained by PEOPLE, Tom's former clients, Joseph Ruigomez, Jaime Ruigomez, and Kathleen Ruigomez, will be able to collect the $11 million they are owed by him per a 2020 litigation.
Photo Credit: Bravo Media/NBCUniversal (2)
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