ENCORE: The Pop Star and the Power Broker: Part 1 | 171

Scamfluencers

Wondery

Society & Culture

4.1 • 7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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.

Be the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletter

Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, Scamplencers listeners. If you're as hooked on these jaw-dropping schemes as we are,
0:04.7	you'll love Wondry Plus. Think of it as you're all access past the world of scams.
0:09.4	Add free episodes, early access, and exclusive deep dives that uncover even more shocking
0:14.6	details. Don't just listen. Emmerse yourself in the chaos with Wondry Plus.
0:19.6	We'll be back very soon with brand new episodes of scam fluencers.
0:23.8	But today, we're revisiting one of the stories closest to our hearts, the story of
0:28.5	Real Housewives of Beverly Hills power couple, Erica Jane and Tom Gerardy.
0:33.7	Tom was a high-powered lawyer in L.A.
0:36.2	He built a reputation as someone willing to take on
0:38.8	mega corporations on behalf of his clients, winning them millions. He used his personal fortune to launch
0:45.2	Erica Jane's singing career, and they both flaunted their fabulous lifestyle on Bravo for
0:50.4	the world to see. And let's face it, Erica Jane was and is a star. Instant, classic housewife.
0:59.2	It is so unfortunate what happened to her. Oh, it is very unfortunate. And after decades as one of
1:05.8	California's most respected and feared lawyers, some of Tom's clients made explosive claims that he was stealing
1:12.4	their settlement money. As more and more clients spoke out, Tom's legal empire collapsed,
1:18.1	and his decades-long rift was exposed. Tom's firm went under, Erica Jane left him, and he was
1:24.2	found guilty of embezzling millions. Tom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and his lawyers
1:30.0	asked that he'd be allowed to serve his sentence in a memory care nursing home. But there was a lot
1:35.6	of speculation about his mental state and whether he was using his diagnosis to avoid consequences.
1:42.1	Well, in June 2025, a federal judge ruled that Tom will serve his sentence behind bars.
1:48.6	And recently, on The Diamonds in the Rough podcast, Erica Jane said she heard about Tom's
1:53.6	sentencing 10 minutes before performing a show in London.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Wondery, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Wondery and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.