Former Los Angeles judge Tricia Bigelow purchased a beachfront Santa Monica condo in 2015 and was promptly wired $300,000 of allegedly stolen funds from her then-lover disgraced attorney Tom Girardi.
Girardi, the now-ex husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, stands accused of mishandling millions of dollars of client funds over several decades, including those intended for victims of various accidents and class-action suit recipients.
The funds allegedly supported his lavish Beverly Hills lifestyle, which has been on full display for the better part of a decade on the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'
Since his downfall, more than $500 million in claims have been issued against Girardi's firm - Girardi & Keese.
The new claim, detailed in the LA Times, posits that Girardi wired $300,000 from an account of his law firm's containing funds that were meant to be distributed among cancer victims and other residents of a community in the Inland Empire, outside of Los Angeles, who had successfully sued cement manufacturers.
The significant chunk of cash went toward the top-floor, 1-bedroom love nest that Bigelow acquired for $715,000.
The Santa Monica oceanside condo building in which former judge Tricia Bigelow owns a 1-bedroom apartment that Girardi allegedly helped her buy with stolen funds
Girardi, 83, was previously married to Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, 51, who was been wrapped up in the financial legal drama surrounding her ex-husband's downfall and bankruptcy filing
Bigelow and Girardi conducted an affair from 2012 to 2016. Bigelow was, at the time, engaged to a retired Fire Department captain, and Girardi had been married to Jayne for over a decade.
Terrance Manning, the fire department fiancé told the LA Times that Bigelow told him they would use the Ocean Avenue condo as a weekend retreat.
'It neve really worked out, nor did our relationship,' he added, noting also that he had not been suspicious about the source of the money the former-judge used for the down payment on the 777 square foot apartment.
Bigelow's attorney says the now-retired judge was entirely unaware that the money Girardi wired her was intended for law firm clients and victims.
In recent weeks, Bigelow's attorney forked over all the gifts Girardi ever gave his mistress, which according to a court filing by the trustee for the bankruptcy of the law firm include 1.75-carat diamond earrings, a Bulgari pearl and diamond necklace, a Cartier gold and diamond necklace and a Tiffany heart-shaped gold and diamond necklace.
For her part, Jayne was apparently taken by surprise by the information that her ex had wired $300,000 to his lady of the law.
In court last month, when presented with information about the condo, she exclaimed, 'F--- me,' prompting a language warning from her lawyer.
The Bravo franchise standout later took to her instagram to react to the claim. 'Wow. I knew about the jewelry, shopping sprees, and plastic surgery but this really threw me for a loop,' she wrote linking to the LA Times account.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne reacts on instagram to the allegation that her ex-husband funneled $300K of stolen funds to his mistress for a beachside condo in Santa Monica
Jayne was recently cleared by an LA court of having had any knowledge of Girardi's misdeeds, a decision she says allowed her a moment of vindication during the years long legal battle
In late August Jayne, 51, was declared by a Los Angeles court to have had 'no knowledge' of her former husband's alleged financial misdeeds.
The blonde bombshell told the Daily Mail she felt vindicated by the court's ruling.
Jayne had been sued as part of a $5 million fraud case for 'aiding and abetting' disgraced lawyer Girardi, 83, in his alleged embezzlement of settlement funds meant for his clients.
Jayne filed to end her 21-year marriage to Girardi - who's suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's - in 2020 amid cheating allegations, and he lives at an assisted-living facility under the conservatorship of his younger brother Robert.
