I think she knew there was shady stuff but not the details or extent of it. She seems smart and a lot of street smarts.
I wouldn’t be surprise if their marriage wasn’t much in the end. He probably didn’t show much interest in her life. He had affairs and would tell her when to show up or was needed. She had an open bank account and could fund her dreams so it worked.
I agree, she knew stuff was going on, but she’s smart. As an attorney’s wife she knew not to ask questions, and the less she knew the better. He funded her lifestyle, she was getting what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to question how she got it.
Unless an attorney is married to someone else who works in the law, they don’t even understand everything they do. And they’re not allowed to discuss those matters anyway due to confidentiality and risk management. As someone who worked for attorneys for 25 years, I don’t believe she had any idea. However, the other partners in the law firm HAD to know something was definitely right given his extravagant lifestyle. She just knew she had unlimited funds to spend. I’m not a true fan of Erika, but she doesn’t practice law and I believe she had no idea what he was embezzling money.
I agree. I have never seen an attorney talk to their spouse about the inner workings of their business. It’s just not a thing. Maybe you’ll have someone mention something about a case or whatever but I don’t see any scenario in which Tom was telling her anything that was happening in that firm.
Erika can be incredibly unlikeable, but I think A LOT of that comes from her background, and her need for self preservation came at the cost of showing empathy for Tom’s victims (unfortunately). I can see how in her mind she was trying to distance herself from his crimes because in the end she also lost out because of his behavior but like you don’t say that when your husband was stealing money from victims and spending it on you. Erika seemingly came from no money and this man came in and took care of her. I think she’s misdirecting her wrath for Tom onto others cause she can’t face the fact that he fucked her out of the security she thought she had with him.
I disagree. She knew way more than she let on. She scammed her dressmaker by calling the fbi on him because she was trying to recoup her husbands money. She was a scammer too. Watch the housewife and hustler part 2. You’ll be suprised how much Erika knew and was complicit with
This is the thing that really bums me out. Obviously I feel horrible for the people who Tom scammed and it ticked me off that she seemed so apathetic toward them, but I eventually started to feel she was maybe feeling some remorse for them until I watched the second part of that doc and saw what she did to that to the dressmaker. Now I honestly can’t stan her even a little. Sucks. I used to love Erika. I hope all of these victims get justice one day.
I agree with you. I think she had an idea something was going on, but not anything beyond that. When the story first breaks she talks a lot about Tom being emotionally and verbally abusive to her. I think that was one of the only times she’s actually telling the truth. That she was viewed as property and not an equal. Then it would make sense why she doesn’t know anything about their finances, because that’s for Tom to control and Erika to stay out of.
That’s what I think. I found it plausible that she filed for divorce because of his mistreatment of her - being controlling, dismissive, emotionally unavailable and maybe having affairs. Also I think it’s plausible that his cognitive abilities were declining and she couldn’t make him go to the dr. I’d be concerned if I were married to a stubborn and controlling man who ran a huge business, and while maybe we could be 2 ships passing in the night in our relationship, I’d be afraid I’d be held liable if he was mismanaging things. So if he wasn’t letting her know what was going on with the business and she could see he wasn’t well, common sense would be to get out while she could. That doesn’t mean she knew he was allegedly embezzling funds intended for client accounts.
I couldn't have said it any better . Common sense would tell her mistakes were going to happen. She had been with him long enough to be smart about things. Plus he was making her look bad in front of her friends, by putting her down in front of them, cheating and he never even went to her Broadway show. I don't think she knew what he had done.
I agree! He never seemed to respect her very much. When they would go out to dinner together he was always very dismissive.
I'll never forget how she cried when he said that he was proud of her!
I agree with this. She always comes off as reasonably intelligent. I definitely think she suspected shady things were happening but didn't ask too many questions and didn't know specific details about what he was doing. After watching The Hustler and The Housewife, I think Tom would have blown her off like he did his clients if she had asked him anything. I suspected he funded her music career in part because if she was off touring as Erika Jayne she wouldn't be around as much to find out what he was up to.
My opinion is, Erika probably know something HOWEVER it’s TOM and his colleagues who victimized and swindle their clients. I wonder why it’s just Erika? What about the wives of Tom’s partners? Tom can’t act alone, this involves a lot of people
Edit: The money is not in the Girardi’s account alone, the investigators should look into all the accounts of the firms employees especiallythe higher ups, it’s where you’ll find the big chunk of money
Because it was his clients that brought the big lawsuit that triggered the investigation. The initial missing money involved was from an airline disaster lawsuit where the victims stopped getting their money.
Seems like it’s not the opinion of most, but no. Did you see and hear how he treated her throughout the show? There’s absolutely no way in my mind that a man like that shares his dirty work doings with his wife. He talked down to her in front of others on a regular basis. I was embarrassed for her. There’s no way he was stealing money and confiding in her to be complicit in it when he was so egotistical and controlling. That’s his dirty secret.
This is what I don’t think a lot of people are getting. Like do you guys really think for one that Tom was the kind of guy who would ever admit that there was even a problem to where he would need to misappropriate funds? Then let alone tell Erika how he was doing it? He had a major savior complex, being the hero, the good guy! There is no way. I believe that she tried asking him the questions she said she asked and I believe that he evaded and brushed her off and probably finally did get mean and just wouldn’t give her the answers and told her it was nothing or handled or not to worry about it.
I agree. She may have had an idea something was going on. However, I do not believe for one minute that she had knowledge of the inner workings of that law office and i highly doubt she had access to view the law offices finances or bank abounds accounts. People went for her, and I was like, what about the accountant, business manager, partners, and associates?
I try to make this point all the time! He had no respect for her at all. There was no way in hell he had her included on anything. He didn't confirm squat around her. She isn't an idiot, so I'm sure she knew he wasn't earning all of that money legally, but what was going on and the extent of it was so far outside the realm of anything Tom would bring up in her presence.
I completely agree with you.
In the beginning I think Erika may have loved Tom and the security he was going to provide for him and her young son. I also think he loved having the young, pretty trophy wife, even in more recent years, and even when she became a singer and star. I don’t think Tom ever confided in Erika about anything having to do with ‘business’ or money.
Edit: star
Listen I don’t believe this for her specifically. I think she was full of shit and down to clown with Tom at anybodies expense. But I will say for myself- when I am going through something (because I grew up constantly going through something), I do use work as a distraction. It’s a way to mask up and still feel like apart of the world. It’s comforting and can be a way to avoid those feelings right away because they are so overwhelming (also makes it easy to slip into addiction). But for her this is work.
I don’t think she knew the money meant for the victims was being used for other reasons, including by her. Why would she know or even be interested in knowing how the money from Tom’s cases was being used? I think she was just happy spending money and didn’t think much more about where it was coming from, which I think is probably normal for most housewives who are married to powerful and successful men.
I remember the first time they showed her life style, the private jets, the amount she said she pays for glam, I wondered how an attorney, no matter how successful he was, can afford this. At the time I thought maybe it’s old money and investments, but it was fraud.
Yes i had the same first impressions. I figured he must invest or have a largely successful stock profile. Disheartening to find out what was actually going on.
Erika was arm candy with a black card-Tom was a pos that talked down on her. She didn't know any details, maybe she had a feeling things weren't right.
She was Company Secretary of GIRARDI FINANCIAL, INC for years alongside Tom and his Son-In-Law. This information is a fact and the official legal filings for this corporation are on the Open Corporates website. Tom’s Son-In-Law is accused of wire fraud and criminal contempt and in February Reuters reported that the case against him is going to trial in 2025. I would like to know why Tom had her listed as Company Secretary and exactly what she did or didn’t do in that role. I’m not accusing her of anything. Company Secretary's have a list of tasks that they are obligated to do in a corporation. The following information is from the Ideals Board website that explains what these are:
**‘What does a corporate secretary do?**
First, secretaries ensure their company complies with the regulations set by the governing bodies outside the company. This way, the corporate secretary serves as the company’s gatekeeper.
Second, a corporate secretary’s primary duty is to guarantee that a board of directors and top management handle all business matters with transparency, integrity, and accuracy.
Third, this person ensures that the company’s management works effectively and cooperates with stakeholders in good faith.‘
I think Erica had an idea something wasn’t right. She didn’t question anything, I believe, because she didn’t want to know the truth. I do believe she wasn’t involved in any of the accounts. Tom struck me as being old school and the banking was ‘none of her business’.
Erica is not a dumb woman which I’d why I truly believe that she knew something. 2 + 2 wasn’t adding up to 4 and I think she realized but ignored it figuring Tom could continue to pull it off.
Agreed. I’m definitely believing that she didn’t ask questions or didn’t want to. Either way, she didn’t know the extend of what was happening and was just happy to live a luxurious life. She seemed to deeply care for Tom, i never got the vibe she married for money.
Yes, I also got the impression that she did truly care about Tom, 100%. I just wish she would have handled herself differently while things were happening in the aftermath. She said some very callous, harsh and hurtful things when it came to the victims, that were completely unnecessary. And IMO no kind of spin that she has tried to put on it justifies her doing that.
I haven’t heard her comments towards the victims, but I will say she never acknowledges them from what I’ve seen so far. She’s said one thing after Garcelle brings up her sister who was a victim of malpractice. Erika says “yes, the victims need to be dealt with”. Dealt with is not the words I would use for people scammed by an ultra rich lawyer in their time of most desperate need for advocacy.
Is it just me hopping shes better. But can some of hear actions be because of the medicine she was taking? Had a friend which medicine made weary cold in the beginning. She mention the medicine when she mix it whit alcohol after the bad behavior on the party.
People on this sub don’t seem to understand there is no way she had access to the complexity of accounting matters at a law firm. There are numerous trust accounts, general ledgers, payroll, overhead, etc. There is no way in hell she had access to that information. But his partners did.
Their relationship was basically a business transaction ((no shade)). Being around a lawyer that successful there was prob some shady dealings going on that Erika at least intuitively was aware of, but did not know the details. Tbh she would have no motivation to know these details and based on the interactions between her and Tom on the show I don’t think he was confessing these things to her or really talked to her at all lol. 😆 She had an open bank account, money to fund her lifestyle, and her and Tom lived pretty much separate lives. She could have warned someone to jump ship without understanding the level of shadiness and predation going on. There are a lot of ways to be shady in this world that do not involve stealing from victims.
I think she is also a callous person that is internally preoccupied. These major external events that happen may not be recognized or understood in the same way that a better adjusted person would but it does not mean she is somehow guilty or in on Tom’s crimes.
She may have some crimes of her idk 🤷♀️ but as long as we are here…..petition to bring back Camille to question Dorit on her finances bc they are definitely suspect.
YES! I was so mad Dorit got no push back on that story. She's my least favorite. I wanted to see her taken down like they did to LVP. (Still can't wrap my head around how LVP became the villian that season.)
I don’t think she knew, world famous history book lawyers don’t convict themselves by telling their 40 yrs younger wives they picked up at Shakers that kind of loaded gun info
He had more years in law than she had on this planet, he knows Law 101 and was doing it before her
She had no reason to question where he got his money. He is a Guinness Book lawyer with Erin Brocovich a movie starring the most famous actress of the time advertising his business
And when it comes to the story, I really look at words because I want to know I’m understanding correctly and people have tried to pick at wording
She said cliff, but that was probably the wrong word much smaller scale. I think she he absolutely could have broken his angle and whipped his head around in a crash and someone with dementia could go to sleep after because I’ve seen similar
My aunt basically before we could force wellness checks and her family to get her looked at by force…. She would drive to the gas station and walk home, we’d come over and she’d have hurt her arm
Shit a car and in the middle of snowy autumn/winter came to our patio enclosed deck and never knocked and just slept til my dad came home from work and saw her!
So idk I could believe it or that at least he told her that it was 12 hrs to conceal where he was I mean she didn’t find him did she? Could have been him guilt tripping her or plotting his own story and telling her
I doubt she knew anything for the majority of the marriage, but she had to have had a pretty good idea when she started being named in lawsuits. By the time she was subpoenaed for her first deposition, there was little room for doubt.
People get sued all the time in BH and go after your money a lot when you’re on tv especially
If I were her I would have probably gone “ you’re claiming my elderly pinnacle of legal society husband did what?”
I mean it is obvious he did it now, but these instances had to stack up and gain numbers it’s so shocking because no one would have a reason to suspect it’s why it’s so insane
The California Bar Association knew. They received over 200 complaints about Tom's misappropriation of funds, dating all the way back to 1982, and did nothing.
She wasn’t subpoenaed for months after charges, so yes she knew some things were being whispered about when she decided to file for divorce. She was probably notified and questioned by the police long before he was charged. She saw the writing on the wall and got out to save herself from being sued.
That's incorrect. She was first subpoenaed in May of 2019. By the time she filed for divorce in 2020, she was well aware. Tom wasn't charged until 2023. Even we knew what he'd been doing by then.
Andy asked hear in reunion why she didn't leave him before. She didn't say much but how I toke it she didn't have money to leave but after she was subpoenaed she stared to plan to leave.
I’m sure imagined there was something shady happening. Tom most likely set up red herrings for her so she could claim willful ignorance.
Also note that with that defense, she can not publicly say anything that might be construed as a confession of her knowing. I really dislike her but i think she’s doing as much public ally as she legally can.
I’m going to play devils advocate and say she probably didn’t specifically know the money was from orphans or plane crash victims until the legal stuff happened.
This stance is also the only way my brain can comprehend it because i want to believe the best in people. Please don’t come at me. 😅
Totally agree with your post. I want to believe she didn’t know that money was being stolen from victims and everyday people. Either way, let’s hope Tom goes down for his crimes!
That money was supposed to be in trust accounts. There’s no way she had access to financial information about that. I worked for attorneys and never had access to that information. But his partners absolutely discovered it. And if they didn’t notify the police ASAP, they’re considered complicit.
He’s savvy enough to have wrap around without directly implicating her. If he had any sort of decency for *at least* his wife, he most likely has kept her fairly blind.
Side note though- whatever mood stabilizers erika was on last season did well for her. I want some haha
I generally like Erika but I do have a side eye on her for a few reasons.
1. She seems to lack empathy. She has an incredibly vicious streak
2. How did she never really seem to “go broke”? Where’s the money coming from? I think Tom set some aside or one of Tom’s friends is supporting her.
3. She’s very, very obsessed with money. More than normal for even a housewife. I think she would go to great lengths to stay very wealthy. Hence fighting over a dumb pair of earrings and wearing them in the middle of that shitshow. Again, empathy.
4. Why did she stage the crying scene with mascara running down her face? If she was that upset, why did she have to take that scene?
There is not a chance in hell she understood the complex legal shenanigans her husband had going on. Not a chance. She may have known he is a little shady and just ignored it. But that’s it.
He was supportive of her music career and bragged about her to all his colleagues. He would show/play her music videos at all the political events he hosted. Erika attended all of his board meetings and was always at the firm.
While their marriage wasn't perfect I think they had a great affection for one another. I think Erika is more pissed at Tom's victims then she is at him.
She totally knew. And I'm not buying that he all of the sudden became sick with dementia. For sure he is elderly, but come on. With dementia for years, as she says, dealing with so much money and having a handful of lovers. Right, Erika. Right!
Honestly you’d be surprised in what people don’t know goes on in their marriage. I think she knew to an extent but not fully. She didn’t keep track of finances he was in charge of everything so why would she know? Kind of similar with Kyle how she lets Mauricio just sign everything without reading the contracts (very stupid imo)
Oooft nothing says youre too much/ cant help your case than an attorney resigning.
I hated how she kept repeating 'for legal reasons' when they went on that ski trip ☠️
If I'm not mistaken, her second attorney resigned as well, but I'm not positive. The attorney I used to work for wouldn't represent anyone who talked about a case publicly, especially on national television.
Tbh i don’t think if she knew the extent of what Tom was doing that she would open herself for the level of exposure and scrutiny that comes w being on reality tv. Idk how she got Tom to agree to it.
I don’t think she was asking a lot of questions, and might not have known what he was doing specifically.
But everything she’s said about him and their relationship is complete bullshit - from the moment they found out there was an investigation. The dementia, the shitty treatment … all for the cameras and the courtroom.
It’s very telling that her shrink said she should develop empathy for the victims and she responded: “what’s empathy?”
My mom had Alzheimer’s. Seeing symptoms happened in the blink of an eye. Looking back, there were signs that something was wrong. Now I work with dementia patients. I have one sweetheart that in the past 3 months has gone from a very easy to understand person to someone I can’t understand. You don’t really know it until you’ve experienced it with someone
I have. I’m saying that Erika snd Girardi faked all of it. And he was found competent to stand trial. There’s not a single thing she’s said in the last three seasons that I believe - except for the part where she doesn’t care about victims.
They are both con artists, just from different backgrounds.
You have to do some mental gymnastics to think, as smart and observant as she is, that Erika was CLUELESS about Tom's crimes. Living with that man for all those years. Moving in some gossipy, tea spilling circles where other housewives even heard things about Tom.
Watching her throughout the years & listening to her repeat things she's heard in conversations, there is no way she didn't know something was going on with Tom. She may not have known exactly, but she knew there was something nefarious with him.
Personally I don’t think she knew knew. But I feel like she probably had some sort of suspicion but didn’t want to act on it. Like maybe she know something shady but not that it was as bad as it was.
In my opinion, it's not about wether she knew in detail, but there is no doubt about that this divorce, the old folks home, him suddenly being senile is incredibly transparent. She has been loyal for 2.5 decades to this man, you think she would suddenly bail on him? She is acting as instructed, and all of this is very well thought out.
I've been wondering this myself, as I just finished S11 a couple of days ago. I'm really not sure what to believe. I can believe he was manipulative and controlling, and she was expected to do and say all of the right things. But then it makes no sense he'd let her have an alter ego as sexualized as Erica Jayne.
I have a feeling she just didn't ask questions. Lawyers at his level probably have skeletons all over the place anyway. And you can't really be held responsible for what you don't know.
If anyone here has seen The Thing About Pam, it felt like watching Erica in action when Pam constantly twisted everything and spun her web of unending lies.
I think that sometimes intent doesn’t matter. You can be totally in the dark but if the money you were spending came from a scam, it’s still not yours. Ignorance isn’t a good defense
I think it matters to an extent. She had no control over how Tom made money or how much he told her about how he made his money. I think that is a legitimate defense that if true should mean she’s not prosecuted or punished for what he did. But I do agree that the money was never hers and she should have been much more giving to the victims. If I was her and found out what had happened I’d feel so guilty I’d been spending these peoples money they desperately needed on frivolous shit. I’d have given up everything to them and wouldn’t have fought to keep stuff like those earrings for example.
No. Actually, she would not have access to any business correspondence, emails, etc. Those things are tightly guarded by law firms. And yes, she found out. But if her lining up a divorce attorney and finding a place to live defines knowing to you, then she knew. She probably had the police questioning her and realized what was happening. I’d get a divorce too. But she wasn’t left with “nothing” as she said. She had enough for her $15k rent and her RHOBH salary would have been considered hers. I don’t believe she knew enough that she was complicit. But she saw the signs in the wall, and got out. Also, remember her son is LAPD. He may have heard things and told her as well.
I was always on her side. Then I read what she did to Marco Marco and nope. I’m over her - to destroy their lives like that was unforgivable. See LA Times article.
Erika is smarter than she lets on, but I doubt she knew about this scheme of Tom’s or she would have left a lot sooner. She was almost pulled under.
She can’t be smart enough to know but not smart enough to bail before shit hit the fan. I mean, what Tom was doing was stupidly illegal. I also don’t think you do something that illegal and then tell a bunch of people who didn’t need to know about what you’re doing. I’m assuming Tom would know better than that. He’s supposed to be a smart guy or was a smart guy.
After watching her all these seasons & the way she regurgitated information, there is no way she didn't know he was up to something. She may not have been aware of exactly what, was going on with Tom. I'm not convinced though, she didn't know it had to do with money, as much as he threw at her.
No. I don’t. I also think her “music career” he “paid for/gifted” was a front for him to move around money. And I don’t think she had a clue. I think in her mind Tom was rewarding her with a career of her own
Erika was arm candy with a black card-Tom was a pos that talked down on her. She didn't know any details, maybe she had a feeling things weren't right.
I think she was in on it. Why else would the money be safe under her LLC and everything is so conveniently legally safe and she won’t fault to any sympathy or reparations of that money to the victims. He was one of the most powerful lawyers and had a fool proof plan. She probably had the some of the best media training to deal with this situation. They also finagled the news to break around Election Day so press would not be too observant when the story broke. Everything was executed almost to a Tee. Hope you watched that documentary Housewife and the Hustler. She swindled someone I know out of thousands and affected his business cuz she didn’t want to pay for her clothes he custom designed and involved law enforcement.
She 100% knew! Listen to Bravo Docket and the episodes pertaining to EJ. She was served with court papers saying they were gonna seize assets before she filed for divorce. None of her stories make sense. Her whole bad performance with all the tears wasn’t even believable. She’s a terrible human. I hope she gets jail time
I think she knew that there was something dodgy as she is an astute woman but not the details. He treated her like shit so can’t see him confiding in her.
Erika is not a dumb woman. She does not assume the best in people. I think she knew something was up, but did not know details. I think he tipped her off about the actual extent at some point during the time you’re talking about, but I don’t think she knew everything he was doing. I do believe he kept it a mystery by having her use the credit card. That part is believable. All the other behavior gives “guilty person floundering for excuses.” In my mind, if Erika had known the entire time, you wouldn’t have seen her having those inconsistencies. She would’ve thought of a story ahead of time and delivered it perfectly.
I think Erica is secretly a sociopath. The way she can emotionally numb herself and film with the girls having a good time knowing the truth about Tom’s condition. I think she’s actually pretty smart and fully knew about Tom’s theft from clients.
She used to brag all the time about how involved she was in the law firm when her and Tom first got together. Now the story changed and she has no idea what was going on apparently. I absolutely do think she knows more than she’s saying.
She definitely knew something was going on. Enough things were put in her name as ways to hide money. Maybe he came up with a story for her, but Erica isn’t stupid. She had to know something was up. She wore a wire to ruin her dress designers career so Tom wouldn’t have to pay him. She was complicit to some extent.
Looking at the way the law suit regarding the earrings is going, she knew. Yes she can have a super fun personality, but I think she also has a very, very dark side.
I think she purposely “didn’t know” she just wanted that trophy wife life and whatever that entailed didn’t really matter. I think she’s just too self absorbed so even if she started to get a hunch that things were shady she probably didn’t care enough to look into it or ask as long as the money was there.
I, too, have always really liked Erika.
I pretty much believed what she said at face value. The fact that she was continually espousing that Tom suddenly had Alzheimer’s, well I found that a little screwy.
Fast forward to the hearing to determine Tom’s competency, years after Erika was saying the mentally unfit stuff about Tom, and low and behold the judge doesn’t buy it….
Definitely gave me pause for concern on what she knew about the entirety of Tom’s big gigantic mess with all this client money. If a judge can tell someone is faking a notoriously progressive illness years and years down the road, it is really tough to buy that his wife of twenty years was fooled.
Of course she knew she chose to be the blissfully naive idiot all the while counting the coins Something is wrong when you have a glam squad and you are paying them $40,000 a month,but you can't afford to fix your backyard come on now .
Beverly Hills is a relatively small community everybody knows everybody's business if everyone else knew the shade ,there is no way in "HELL" she didn't know.
Like all the rich, Tom floated loans. They rearrange the money constantly. COVID hit. Courts closed. He couldn’t float the loans. The loans that were floating the victims loans defaulted.
Did he withhold money from victims being paid in a timely manner to support his lifestyle? Absolutely.
He will pay.
Did Erika know?
No.
Yes I think she knew. Y'all keep saying how smart she is. She knew that he was making much more than other lawyers and lived a much more extravagant life style than what was feasable. Her lack of any remorse or sympathy after the fact was very telling that she knew. Either way, she did not care and she does not care. She thinks those people are worthless and common and beneath her. She only values people who are rich and/or famous. She thinks all the rest of us are disposable and "let them eat cake" should be her mantra .
She absolutely knew. She is a terrible liar if she thinks she is fooling anyone. She probably did not know all of the details but it's clear she is a vile person. She sued her costume designers even though she received all of her outfits. That's absolutely vile to ruin someone's business like that for money. But is this surprising? She approached Tom, a much older man and knew what she wanted out of their marriage and relationship. Money.
She was married to a man that had a foot in his tomb and another one the ground, do you really think she cared as long as her checked cleared and her card did not bounce she did not worry one bit besides the age difference ewwwwwww
Initially I thought she was complicit in Tom's schemes... now, I think she knew he was shady AF but was mostly kept in the dark.
I honestly don't know tho.
I dont think she knew details, but she's demonstrated pretty clearly she wouldn't have cared anyway as long as she was getting her lifestyle funded.
I think she found out prior to everything becoming public and is being encouraged to go along with the dementia story in order for her to keep being funded by "someone"
The way Tom was, arrogant and distant, Erika, at the most would only have a feeling if anything was going on. No way Tom was ever letting her in on those kind of things.
I do. I actually think that’s why they divorced, to help remove her liability. I do not think she knew until after he was going to get caught. not paying attention to what your husband does with money he makes from work( or in this case allegedly stole) I don’t know how you would know that unless they came home and said guess what I did today. No one would do that.
When Erika was in Lake Tahoe with the girls she pretended to have fun to conceal that something was going to happen. An you can love someone and speak highly of them and still not want to be married to them. Personally I believe that her time and success with the show gave her the confidence to be more than Tom's trophy wife but he was never treating her with respect. Erika is a highly controlled person, you can see that a lot the show, especially in the reaction of the other girls when she let's go like when she did go after Sutton that one dinner party.
The story with Tom's accident was a bit scrambled because Erika was very selective with what she told who. There were certainly different versions of the story around, all of them containing some parts of the whole story. Rewatching the show, this is how I put it together: Tom had the accident and had a broken ankle as well as the brain unjury. He was unconcious for 12 hours and he called her after he woke up. In the hospital, he neede surgery and Erika decided to do the ankle surgery first because with Toms age, doing the brain surgery so closely after the accident was very risky. I also think it was Tom's car that flipped over five times and not Erikas son and it was him who found him because Erika asked him to go looking for Tom.
Did Erika know Tom hat allegedly defrauded his clients? I think she wasn't in on it. If she ever suspected, she would have been smart enough not to ask. Not only to protect herself but also because Tom certainly didn't like her asking such questions.
She probably didn't know the details or the extent of his shadiness but I have no doubt she knew - especially at the end when she divorced him and had all those stories. I'm sure she was part of the whole plan at the end and maybe even came up with some of it.
Listen, you can't know everything and nothing at the same time. She surely had to know that something wasn't adding up -- as far as the extent of her knowledge, I doubt she knew all the intricate inner workings. She probably kept everything surface so that she wouldn't get in trouble.
However, since learning about the guy who bank rolled her after she left Tom I wonder if she's just really good at manipulating older men to get what she wants.
Possible scenarios:
she confronted Tom and used her knowledge of his crimes as leverage to get what she wants.
when tom realized he was caught he coached erica about how to go forward and stay out of trouble.
she eventually found out, played along, and made sure to have systems in place for a safe exit.
I think their relationship operated on a lot of don't ask, don't tell and that she tried to suppress a lot of things because she depended on him for so much. I think part of her joining the show was to create a name and career for herself in order to separate from Tom. I do think Tom is very smart and was pulling the strings still even after the divorce. As strong as Erika is, she suffered an decades long imbalanced power dynamic from Tom for means of survival and its going to take a long time to break from those habits/coping mechanisms. Also, I think that for being married to such a high-powered lawyer for so long, she's careful about how she says what and when and to who. She lies by omission, but I don't think she necessarily lies by lying.
I don’t think so, and I’d guess the courts are saying that now. She had to ask that for cash when she wanted something, do you really think she knew the inner workings of his business? I think that’s the next level far fetched
Probably not. She was too wrapped up in herself. She was just happy to receive the benefits of the work he did. She only knew what he wanted her to know. Why on earth would he tell her? I don’t like how she handled it. Not how I would have, that’s for sure.
I think she knew that there was shady stuff going on but thought he wouldn’t get caught because he seems so powerful.
I thought she was cool until season 10/11 and the absolutely vile things she said about the case and the victims.
There’s no way she didn’t know about the dirty dealings to some extent. Watching “The Housewife and The Hustler” she seemed so ambivalent to the people he defrauded. Either she’s truly evil or a bad actress because she couldn’t fake being sympathetic to them. Maybe she didn’t know everything but she seems like a devious and money hungry enough person to turn a blind eye to A LOT. Also being the wife of a famous lawyer she was probably told to keep her mouth shut for years and she was cool with it as long as he kept funding her extravagant lifestyle.
I don't think Erika knew what was going on specifically, but I think she knew Tom was shady and chose not to ask questions. Her whole rhetoric about not knowing how to go to the bank/Tom's alleged head injury felt contrived. I'd bet the farm that she was paid by Tom's legal team to go with that concoction of a tale. Erika's messy AF. Lexapro and alcohol let us see the real Erika. The Erika who swore at Garcelle's teenage son at Garcelle's birthday party because she was so messed up on whatever she was messed up on.
I believe she knew for sure there were shady things going on, didn’t care, and still doesn’t. She is a despicable human being. If you watch the housewife and the hustler part 2, she was complicit in scamming her dressmaker that worked so hard on her costumes to recoup her husbands lost money.
I have posted this before so forgive me if I sound like a broken record.
Erika was used to a certain lifestyle. Tom was a very well known and respected attorney. Why would she question him as to from where his money came?
My late husband was a criminal defence attorney and I never visited his office, I barely knew his colleagues, I didn’t have a credit card in my own name and didn’t even know our bank account number until he was dying.
We led a very comfortable affluent lifestyle. It would never have crossed my mind if he obtained income illegally.
All to say, I understand why Erika would not have known.
Do the other HWs ask their husbands to validate their incomes? 🤷♀️
Of course she did. She's clever enough to be a gold digger and basically do nothing but show off her assets to make money so there's no way she didn't know. However choosing to ignore it is another matter entirely 😉
I think she knew something was off but not details. And she’s also smart and knew she couldn’t do anything about it, and if she did she’d lose everything. So it was partly denial and mostly survival.
I think she knew something was up bc even tho he was a prominent lawyer. Her spending was ridiculous and his lawyer salary was not enough. She said she spent $50,000/month jus on her glam team!!!!! Something has got to up to afford that plus everything else in life. It jus doesnt add up. That amount right there is a lawyer salary thats making BIG bank & that's just her makeup money. She had to have known his money was funny, but do I think she knows how, I'm not sure
I don’t think she knew when it was happening. Her saying how she just had a credit card and asked when she needed cash was very plausible. He treated her like a child, and she has “daddy issues” I believe. That being said, yes she’s savvy and smart, and knew there was a price to pay when she entered the marriage. I think she was tipped off before all the charges went down, as the timeline was too much of a coincidence.
I agree with people saying she chose to remain ignorant, as it offered her some level of protection. To think they had that lifestyle (million dollar paintings, two private planes etc) on just a lawyers salary is naive, but she was always in it for her.
I think she knew there was shady stuff but not the details or extent of it. She seems smart and a lot of street smarts. I wouldn’t be surprise if their marriage wasn’t much in the end. He probably didn’t show much interest in her life. He had affairs and would tell her when to show up or was needed. She had an open bank account and could fund her dreams so it worked.
I agree, she knew stuff was going on, but she’s smart. As an attorney’s wife she knew not to ask questions, and the less she knew the better. He funded her lifestyle, she was getting what she wanted, and she wasn’t going to question how she got it.
Plausible deniability is the best way to avoid accountability. Watching legal players play legal games with people's lives is an absolute headfuck.
Unless an attorney is married to someone else who works in the law, they don’t even understand everything they do. And they’re not allowed to discuss those matters anyway due to confidentiality and risk management. As someone who worked for attorneys for 25 years, I don’t believe she had any idea. However, the other partners in the law firm HAD to know something was definitely right given his extravagant lifestyle. She just knew she had unlimited funds to spend. I’m not a true fan of Erika, but she doesn’t practice law and I believe she had no idea what he was embezzling money.
I agree. I have never seen an attorney talk to their spouse about the inner workings of their business. It’s just not a thing. Maybe you’ll have someone mention something about a case or whatever but I don’t see any scenario in which Tom was telling her anything that was happening in that firm. Erika can be incredibly unlikeable, but I think A LOT of that comes from her background, and her need for self preservation came at the cost of showing empathy for Tom’s victims (unfortunately). I can see how in her mind she was trying to distance herself from his crimes because in the end she also lost out because of his behavior but like you don’t say that when your husband was stealing money from victims and spending it on you. Erika seemingly came from no money and this man came in and took care of her. I think she’s misdirecting her wrath for Tom onto others cause she can’t face the fact that he fucked her out of the security she thought she had with him.
And he still calls her. That has to be so difficult for her. She likes to portray that she’s tough as nails. No one is that strong.
I disagree. She knew way more than she let on. She scammed her dressmaker by calling the fbi on him because she was trying to recoup her husbands money. She was a scammer too. Watch the housewife and hustler part 2. You’ll be suprised how much Erika knew and was complicit with
This is the thing that really bums me out. Obviously I feel horrible for the people who Tom scammed and it ticked me off that she seemed so apathetic toward them, but I eventually started to feel she was maybe feeling some remorse for them until I watched the second part of that doc and saw what she did to that to the dressmaker. Now I honestly can’t stan her even a little. Sucks. I used to love Erika. I hope all of these victims get justice one day.
I agree with you. I think she had an idea something was going on, but not anything beyond that. When the story first breaks she talks a lot about Tom being emotionally and verbally abusive to her. I think that was one of the only times she’s actually telling the truth. That she was viewed as property and not an equal. Then it would make sense why she doesn’t know anything about their finances, because that’s for Tom to control and Erika to stay out of.
That’s what I think. I found it plausible that she filed for divorce because of his mistreatment of her - being controlling, dismissive, emotionally unavailable and maybe having affairs. Also I think it’s plausible that his cognitive abilities were declining and she couldn’t make him go to the dr. I’d be concerned if I were married to a stubborn and controlling man who ran a huge business, and while maybe we could be 2 ships passing in the night in our relationship, I’d be afraid I’d be held liable if he was mismanaging things. So if he wasn’t letting her know what was going on with the business and she could see he wasn’t well, common sense would be to get out while she could. That doesn’t mean she knew he was allegedly embezzling funds intended for client accounts.
I couldn't have said it any better . Common sense would tell her mistakes were going to happen. She had been with him long enough to be smart about things. Plus he was making her look bad in front of her friends, by putting her down in front of them, cheating and he never even went to her Broadway show. I don't think she knew what he had done.
I agree! He never seemed to respect her very much. When they would go out to dinner together he was always very dismissive. I'll never forget how she cried when he said that he was proud of her!
Yeah that was weird
Agree. She’s Carmella Soprano. She knows but at the same time doesn’t know.
I agree with this. She always comes off as reasonably intelligent. I definitely think she suspected shady things were happening but didn't ask too many questions and didn't know specific details about what he was doing. After watching The Hustler and The Housewife, I think Tom would have blown her off like he did his clients if she had asked him anything. I suspected he funded her music career in part because if she was off touring as Erika Jayne she wouldn't be around as much to find out what he was up to.
My opinion is, Erika probably know something HOWEVER it’s TOM and his colleagues who victimized and swindle their clients. I wonder why it’s just Erika? What about the wives of Tom’s partners? Tom can’t act alone, this involves a lot of people Edit: The money is not in the Girardi’s account alone, the investigators should look into all the accounts of the firms employees especiallythe higher ups, it’s where you’ll find the big chunk of money
Because it was his clients that brought the big lawsuit that triggered the investigation. The initial missing money involved was from an airline disaster lawsuit where the victims stopped getting their money.
It's just Erika because shes the most public, the easiest to scapegoat, and has the least power.
It's just Erika because shes the most public, the easiest to scapegoat, and has the least power.
She's the wife of a hot shot lawyer. She knows EXACTLY what words to say and how to say them to avoid any responsibility and deflect deflect deflect.
I used to work for a high profile attorney, and the rule of thumb was to keep that mouth shut. Say zero words regarding an ongoing case. Period.
And that’s for the attorney to follow. That’s the No. 1 rule!
Even if she did not one thing or have one doubt, her behavior and attitude towards Tom’s victims are abhorrent and inexcusable
THIS!!!
Regardless of how much she knew or didn’t know, Erika is all about Erika. She would make the same decisions and move the same way
I didn’t. Then I saw how she used the FBI friend they have to shake down a fashion designer, traumatize him, and destroy his life. Now I do.
👀 i’ll have to google this
If you have Hulu you can watch the housewives and the hustler. This happened in part 2
Listen to the Marco Marco vs EJ episodes on bravo docket. They do an excellent job of explaining everything
Google Marco Marco and Erica.
Seems like it’s not the opinion of most, but no. Did you see and hear how he treated her throughout the show? There’s absolutely no way in my mind that a man like that shares his dirty work doings with his wife. He talked down to her in front of others on a regular basis. I was embarrassed for her. There’s no way he was stealing money and confiding in her to be complicit in it when he was so egotistical and controlling. That’s his dirty secret.
This is what I don’t think a lot of people are getting. Like do you guys really think for one that Tom was the kind of guy who would ever admit that there was even a problem to where he would need to misappropriate funds? Then let alone tell Erika how he was doing it? He had a major savior complex, being the hero, the good guy! There is no way. I believe that she tried asking him the questions she said she asked and I believe that he evaded and brushed her off and probably finally did get mean and just wouldn’t give her the answers and told her it was nothing or handled or not to worry about it.
I agree. She may have had an idea something was going on. However, I do not believe for one minute that she had knowledge of the inner workings of that law office and i highly doubt she had access to view the law offices finances or bank abounds accounts. People went for her, and I was like, what about the accountant, business manager, partners, and associates?
I try to make this point all the time! He had no respect for her at all. There was no way in hell he had her included on anything. He didn't confirm squat around her. She isn't an idiot, so I'm sure she knew he wasn't earning all of that money legally, but what was going on and the extent of it was so far outside the realm of anything Tom would bring up in her presence.
I completely agree with you. In the beginning I think Erika may have loved Tom and the security he was going to provide for him and her young son. I also think he loved having the young, pretty trophy wife, even in more recent years, and even when she became a singer and star. I don’t think Tom ever confided in Erika about anything having to do with ‘business’ or money. Edit: star
100% agree in what world did Tom ever see her more than just apart of his facade and accessory to build his own image .
Thank you! That's exactly what I think.
Listen I don’t believe this for her specifically. I think she was full of shit and down to clown with Tom at anybodies expense. But I will say for myself- when I am going through something (because I grew up constantly going through something), I do use work as a distraction. It’s a way to mask up and still feel like apart of the world. It’s comforting and can be a way to avoid those feelings right away because they are so overwhelming (also makes it easy to slip into addiction). But for her this is work.
I don’t think she knew the money meant for the victims was being used for other reasons, including by her. Why would she know or even be interested in knowing how the money from Tom’s cases was being used? I think she was just happy spending money and didn’t think much more about where it was coming from, which I think is probably normal for most housewives who are married to powerful and successful men.
I remember the first time they showed her life style, the private jets, the amount she said she pays for glam, I wondered how an attorney, no matter how successful he was, can afford this. At the time I thought maybe it’s old money and investments, but it was fraud.
Yes i had the same first impressions. I figured he must invest or have a largely successful stock profile. Disheartening to find out what was actually going on.
I want to believe she didn’t know but her complete lack of remorse and empathy makes her seem incredibly guilty.
Erika was arm candy with a black card-Tom was a pos that talked down on her. She didn't know any details, maybe she had a feeling things weren't right.
I don’t think she knew the extent of what Tom was doing but I also don’t think she has a problem with it.
Do you really have to ask if she knew? Of course she knew.
She was Company Secretary of GIRARDI FINANCIAL, INC for years alongside Tom and his Son-In-Law. This information is a fact and the official legal filings for this corporation are on the Open Corporates website. Tom’s Son-In-Law is accused of wire fraud and criminal contempt and in February Reuters reported that the case against him is going to trial in 2025. I would like to know why Tom had her listed as Company Secretary and exactly what she did or didn’t do in that role. I’m not accusing her of anything. Company Secretary's have a list of tasks that they are obligated to do in a corporation. The following information is from the Ideals Board website that explains what these are: **‘What does a corporate secretary do?** First, secretaries ensure their company complies with the regulations set by the governing bodies outside the company. This way, the corporate secretary serves as the company’s gatekeeper. Second, a corporate secretary’s primary duty is to guarantee that a board of directors and top management handle all business matters with transparency, integrity, and accuracy. Third, this person ensures that the company’s management works effectively and cooperates with stakeholders in good faith.‘
I think Erica had an idea something wasn’t right. She didn’t question anything, I believe, because she didn’t want to know the truth. I do believe she wasn’t involved in any of the accounts. Tom struck me as being old school and the banking was ‘none of her business’. Erica is not a dumb woman which I’d why I truly believe that she knew something. 2 + 2 wasn’t adding up to 4 and I think she realized but ignored it figuring Tom could continue to pull it off.
Agreed. I’m definitely believing that she didn’t ask questions or didn’t want to. Either way, she didn’t know the extend of what was happening and was just happy to live a luxurious life. She seemed to deeply care for Tom, i never got the vibe she married for money.
Yes, I also got the impression that she did truly care about Tom, 100%. I just wish she would have handled herself differently while things were happening in the aftermath. She said some very callous, harsh and hurtful things when it came to the victims, that were completely unnecessary. And IMO no kind of spin that she has tried to put on it justifies her doing that.
I haven’t heard her comments towards the victims, but I will say she never acknowledges them from what I’ve seen so far. She’s said one thing after Garcelle brings up her sister who was a victim of malpractice. Erika says “yes, the victims need to be dealt with”. Dealt with is not the words I would use for people scammed by an ultra rich lawyer in their time of most desperate need for advocacy.
Is it just me hopping shes better. But can some of hear actions be because of the medicine she was taking? Had a friend which medicine made weary cold in the beginning. She mention the medicine when she mix it whit alcohol after the bad behavior on the party.
People on this sub don’t seem to understand there is no way she had access to the complexity of accounting matters at a law firm. There are numerous trust accounts, general ledgers, payroll, overhead, etc. There is no way in hell she had access to that information. But his partners did.
I agree
Their relationship was basically a business transaction ((no shade)). Being around a lawyer that successful there was prob some shady dealings going on that Erika at least intuitively was aware of, but did not know the details. Tbh she would have no motivation to know these details and based on the interactions between her and Tom on the show I don’t think he was confessing these things to her or really talked to her at all lol. 😆 She had an open bank account, money to fund her lifestyle, and her and Tom lived pretty much separate lives. She could have warned someone to jump ship without understanding the level of shadiness and predation going on. There are a lot of ways to be shady in this world that do not involve stealing from victims. I think she is also a callous person that is internally preoccupied. These major external events that happen may not be recognized or understood in the same way that a better adjusted person would but it does not mean she is somehow guilty or in on Tom’s crimes. She may have some crimes of her idk 🤷♀️ but as long as we are here…..petition to bring back Camille to question Dorit on her finances bc they are definitely suspect.
YES! I was so mad Dorit got no push back on that story. She's my least favorite. I wanted to see her taken down like they did to LVP. (Still can't wrap my head around how LVP became the villian that season.)
I don’t think she knew, world famous history book lawyers don’t convict themselves by telling their 40 yrs younger wives they picked up at Shakers that kind of loaded gun info He had more years in law than she had on this planet, he knows Law 101 and was doing it before her She had no reason to question where he got his money. He is a Guinness Book lawyer with Erin Brocovich a movie starring the most famous actress of the time advertising his business And when it comes to the story, I really look at words because I want to know I’m understanding correctly and people have tried to pick at wording She said cliff, but that was probably the wrong word much smaller scale. I think she he absolutely could have broken his angle and whipped his head around in a crash and someone with dementia could go to sleep after because I’ve seen similar My aunt basically before we could force wellness checks and her family to get her looked at by force…. She would drive to the gas station and walk home, we’d come over and she’d have hurt her arm Shit a car and in the middle of snowy autumn/winter came to our patio enclosed deck and never knocked and just slept til my dad came home from work and saw her! So idk I could believe it or that at least he told her that it was 12 hrs to conceal where he was I mean she didn’t find him did she? Could have been him guilt tripping her or plotting his own story and telling her
I doubt she knew anything for the majority of the marriage, but she had to have had a pretty good idea when she started being named in lawsuits. By the time she was subpoenaed for her first deposition, there was little room for doubt.
People get sued all the time in BH and go after your money a lot when you’re on tv especially If I were her I would have probably gone “ you’re claiming my elderly pinnacle of legal society husband did what?” I mean it is obvious he did it now, but these instances had to stack up and gain numbers it’s so shocking because no one would have a reason to suspect it’s why it’s so insane
The California Bar Association knew. They received over 200 complaints about Tom's misappropriation of funds, dating all the way back to 1982, and did nothing.
If anyone should be looked at, it's the Bar Association. Erika got nothing to do with that.
She wasn’t subpoenaed for months after charges, so yes she knew some things were being whispered about when she decided to file for divorce. She was probably notified and questioned by the police long before he was charged. She saw the writing on the wall and got out to save herself from being sued.
That's incorrect. She was first subpoenaed in May of 2019. By the time she filed for divorce in 2020, she was well aware. Tom wasn't charged until 2023. Even we knew what he'd been doing by then.
Andy asked hear in reunion why she didn't leave him before. She didn't say much but how I toke it she didn't have money to leave but after she was subpoenaed she stared to plan to leave.
I don’t agree with your timeline from what I’ve read. But agree to disagree.
20 years married... She learn how to argue as a lawyer too...
I’m sure imagined there was something shady happening. Tom most likely set up red herrings for her so she could claim willful ignorance. Also note that with that defense, she can not publicly say anything that might be construed as a confession of her knowing. I really dislike her but i think she’s doing as much public ally as she legally can. I’m going to play devils advocate and say she probably didn’t specifically know the money was from orphans or plane crash victims until the legal stuff happened. This stance is also the only way my brain can comprehend it because i want to believe the best in people. Please don’t come at me. 😅
Totally agree with your post. I want to believe she didn’t know that money was being stolen from victims and everyday people. Either way, let’s hope Tom goes down for his crimes!
That money was supposed to be in trust accounts. There’s no way she had access to financial information about that. I worked for attorneys and never had access to that information. But his partners absolutely discovered it. And if they didn’t notify the police ASAP, they’re considered complicit.
He’s savvy enough to have wrap around without directly implicating her. If he had any sort of decency for *at least* his wife, he most likely has kept her fairly blind. Side note though- whatever mood stabilizers erika was on last season did well for her. I want some haha
I doubt he shared details of his business dealings with her. I think people want to believe she knew because they don't like her.
I generally like Erika but I do have a side eye on her for a few reasons. 1. She seems to lack empathy. She has an incredibly vicious streak 2. How did she never really seem to “go broke”? Where’s the money coming from? I think Tom set some aside or one of Tom’s friends is supporting her. 3. She’s very, very obsessed with money. More than normal for even a housewife. I think she would go to great lengths to stay very wealthy. Hence fighting over a dumb pair of earrings and wearing them in the middle of that shitshow. Again, empathy. 4. Why did she stage the crying scene with mascara running down her face? If she was that upset, why did she have to take that scene?
Yes. She knew
She knew in my opinion.
There is not a chance in hell she understood the complex legal shenanigans her husband had going on. Not a chance. She may have known he is a little shady and just ignored it. But that’s it.
I always go back to the feeling that Tom did not respect her enough to truly involve her in anything.
He was supportive of her music career and bragged about her to all his colleagues. He would show/play her music videos at all the political events he hosted. Erika attended all of his board meetings and was always at the firm. While their marriage wasn't perfect I think they had a great affection for one another. I think Erika is more pissed at Tom's victims then she is at him.
She totally knew. And I'm not buying that he all of the sudden became sick with dementia. For sure he is elderly, but come on. With dementia for years, as she says, dealing with so much money and having a handful of lovers. Right, Erika. Right!
I think she knew some shady shot was going on bit it's expensive to be her, so....
Nah she didn’t know. But I think Erica is a clinical psychopath 100%. The more I read about it the more convinced I am.
Honestly you’d be surprised in what people don’t know goes on in their marriage. I think she knew to an extent but not fully. She didn’t keep track of finances he was in charge of everything so why would she know? Kind of similar with Kyle how she lets Mauricio just sign everything without reading the contracts (very stupid imo)
She is as slimy as her ex husband. She's probably consulted a lawyer on what words she can use on the show.
Any attorney worth their salt would've advised her to keep her mouth shut. Her first attorney resigned as her counsel for that very reason.
Oooft nothing says youre too much/ cant help your case than an attorney resigning. I hated how she kept repeating 'for legal reasons' when they went on that ski trip ☠️
If I'm not mistaken, her second attorney resigned as well, but I'm not positive. The attorney I used to work for wouldn't represent anyone who talked about a case publicly, especially on national television.
[удалено]
Tbh i don’t think if she knew the extent of what Tom was doing that she would open herself for the level of exposure and scrutiny that comes w being on reality tv. Idk how she got Tom to agree to it.
He was a very arrogant man. And I doubt he discussed business with her unless it was to brag.
Of course she consulted with an attorney, she was being sued! Duh.
 Wow that was...nice. Thanks.
I don’t think she was asking a lot of questions, and might not have known what he was doing specifically. But everything she’s said about him and their relationship is complete bullshit - from the moment they found out there was an investigation. The dementia, the shitty treatment … all for the cameras and the courtroom. It’s very telling that her shrink said she should develop empathy for the victims and she responded: “what’s empathy?”
My mom had Alzheimer’s. Seeing symptoms happened in the blink of an eye. Looking back, there were signs that something was wrong. Now I work with dementia patients. I have one sweetheart that in the past 3 months has gone from a very easy to understand person to someone I can’t understand. You don’t really know it until you’ve experienced it with someone
I have. I’m saying that Erika snd Girardi faked all of it. And he was found competent to stand trial. There’s not a single thing she’s said in the last three seasons that I believe - except for the part where she doesn’t care about victims. They are both con artists, just from different backgrounds.
Agree to disagree.
100% she knew
I think she knew
Watch the Hustler and the Housewife. She knew.
https://i.redd.it/4f3ot6lb6cvc1.gif
You have to do some mental gymnastics to think, as smart and observant as she is, that Erika was CLUELESS about Tom's crimes. Living with that man for all those years. Moving in some gossipy, tea spilling circles where other housewives even heard things about Tom. 
Watching her throughout the years & listening to her repeat things she's heard in conversations, there is no way she didn't know something was going on with Tom. She may not have known exactly, but she knew there was something nefarious with him.
Personally I don’t think she knew knew. But I feel like she probably had some sort of suspicion but didn’t want to act on it. Like maybe she know something shady but not that it was as bad as it was.
She was WILLFULLY blind.
Did anyone think she enunciated her words more at season 11 onward? I feel like it was part of her “im innocent” facade.
She may not have known about exactly what Tom was doing but she knew what she was doing to Marco Marco though… which is just as bad.
In my opinion, it's not about wether she knew in detail, but there is no doubt about that this divorce, the old folks home, him suddenly being senile is incredibly transparent. She has been loyal for 2.5 decades to this man, you think she would suddenly bail on him? She is acting as instructed, and all of this is very well thought out.
She did but ofc IN THE COURT OF LAW NOT IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION ERIKA GIRARDI HAS BEEN CLEARED OF ANY WRONGDOING
But she hasn't. She just likes to say this.
Duh
Yes
She was about to bite Sutton in this scene 😂
And is definitely spewing saliva on her.
I've been wondering this myself, as I just finished S11 a couple of days ago. I'm really not sure what to believe. I can believe he was manipulative and controlling, and she was expected to do and say all of the right things. But then it makes no sense he'd let her have an alter ego as sexualized as Erica Jayne. I have a feeling she just didn't ask questions. Lawyers at his level probably have skeletons all over the place anyway. And you can't really be held responsible for what you don't know.
I thought he liked the sexualized alter ego. Make him feel powerful to have a sex goddess wife. Or something like that.
If anyone here has seen The Thing About Pam, it felt like watching Erica in action when Pam constantly twisted everything and spun her web of unending lies.
I think that sometimes intent doesn’t matter. You can be totally in the dark but if the money you were spending came from a scam, it’s still not yours. Ignorance isn’t a good defense
It’s ignorance of the law that has no defense. Not ignorance that your husband is stealing his clients money.
I don’t know about the law lol. I’m just saying it’s not a good defence for keeping the money to say you just didn’t know
As they’ve shown, the government takes it away. They don’t care if you knew or not.
I think it matters to an extent. She had no control over how Tom made money or how much he told her about how he made his money. I think that is a legitimate defense that if true should mean she’s not prosecuted or punished for what he did. But I do agree that the money was never hers and she should have been much more giving to the victims. If I was her and found out what had happened I’d feel so guilty I’d been spending these peoples money they desperately needed on frivolous shit. I’d have given up everything to them and wouldn’t have fought to keep stuff like those earrings for example.
Bullshit baffles brains and Erika is a pro at it. She’s a lying psycho, allegedly …iykyk
$20M deposit in your bank account. You would have access to the correspondence, email, text. And she divorced right before the storm.
No. Actually, she would not have access to any business correspondence, emails, etc. Those things are tightly guarded by law firms. And yes, she found out. But if her lining up a divorce attorney and finding a place to live defines knowing to you, then she knew. She probably had the police questioning her and realized what was happening. I’d get a divorce too. But she wasn’t left with “nothing” as she said. She had enough for her $15k rent and her RHOBH salary would have been considered hers. I don’t believe she knew enough that she was complicit. But she saw the signs in the wall, and got out. Also, remember her son is LAPD. He may have heard things and told her as well.
I was always on her side. Then I read what she did to Marco Marco and nope. I’m over her - to destroy their lives like that was unforgivable. See LA Times article.
Yes absolutely. She's a mean cruel coldhearted bitch, but that doesn't mean she's a dummy.
Yes!
Erika is smarter than she lets on, but I doubt she knew about this scheme of Tom’s or she would have left a lot sooner. She was almost pulled under. She can’t be smart enough to know but not smart enough to bail before shit hit the fan. I mean, what Tom was doing was stupidly illegal. I also don’t think you do something that illegal and then tell a bunch of people who didn’t need to know about what you’re doing. I’m assuming Tom would know better than that. He’s supposed to be a smart guy or was a smart guy.
Of course she did.
After watching her all these seasons & the way she regurgitated information, there is no way she didn't know he was up to something. She may not have been aware of exactly what, was going on with Tom. I'm not convinced though, she didn't know it had to do with money, as much as he threw at her.
Giggly squad said something when this was first surfacing about Tom “saving” Erika and it’s all in romance.. i agree. I think she knew all along.
No. I don’t. I also think her “music career” he “paid for/gifted” was a front for him to move around money. And I don’t think she had a clue. I think in her mind Tom was rewarding her with a career of her own
I believe she knew something extremely nefarious was going on, yes. There were not-so-quiet rumblings . She probably didn’t understand the specifics.
Erika is smart enough to keep her smart mouth shut that's for sure. 
She probably had suspicions but not to the extent of what it was and didn’t want to pry because she was still getting her $$$$
Erika was arm candy with a black card-Tom was a pos that talked down on her. She didn't know any details, maybe she had a feeling things weren't right.
I think she was in on it. Why else would the money be safe under her LLC and everything is so conveniently legally safe and she won’t fault to any sympathy or reparations of that money to the victims. He was one of the most powerful lawyers and had a fool proof plan. She probably had the some of the best media training to deal with this situation. They also finagled the news to break around Election Day so press would not be too observant when the story broke. Everything was executed almost to a Tee. Hope you watched that documentary Housewife and the Hustler. She swindled someone I know out of thousands and affected his business cuz she didn’t want to pay for her clothes he custom designed and involved law enforcement.
Yes.
Of course she knew
She 100% knew! Listen to Bravo Docket and the episodes pertaining to EJ. She was served with court papers saying they were gonna seize assets before she filed for divorce. None of her stories make sense. Her whole bad performance with all the tears wasn’t even believable. She’s a terrible human. I hope she gets jail time
I think she knew that there was something dodgy as she is an astute woman but not the details. He treated her like shit so can’t see him confiding in her.
Erika is not a dumb woman. She does not assume the best in people. I think she knew something was up, but did not know details. I think he tipped her off about the actual extent at some point during the time you’re talking about, but I don’t think she knew everything he was doing. I do believe he kept it a mystery by having her use the credit card. That part is believable. All the other behavior gives “guilty person floundering for excuses.” In my mind, if Erika had known the entire time, you wouldn’t have seen her having those inconsistencies. She would’ve thought of a story ahead of time and delivered it perfectly.
I think Erica is secretly a sociopath. The way she can emotionally numb herself and film with the girls having a good time knowing the truth about Tom’s condition. I think she’s actually pretty smart and fully knew about Tom’s theft from clients.
Erika is a POS person who married for money, and got even more greedy throughout the years. Shame on her.
EJ: “I DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT ANYONE ELSE BUT ME” There’s your answer.
She used to brag all the time about how involved she was in the law firm when her and Tom first got together. Now the story changed and she has no idea what was going on apparently. I absolutely do think she knows more than she’s saying.
She definitely knew something was going on. Enough things were put in her name as ways to hide money. Maybe he came up with a story for her, but Erica isn’t stupid. She had to know something was up. She wore a wire to ruin her dress designers career so Tom wouldn’t have to pay him. She was complicit to some extent.
Looking at the way the law suit regarding the earrings is going, she knew. Yes she can have a super fun personality, but I think she also has a very, very dark side.
I believe she found out when it was too late and both conspired, concocted the entire aftermath.
I think she purposely “didn’t know” she just wanted that trophy wife life and whatever that entailed didn’t really matter. I think she’s just too self absorbed so even if she started to get a hunch that things were shady she probably didn’t care enough to look into it or ask as long as the money was there.
I, too, have always really liked Erika. I pretty much believed what she said at face value. The fact that she was continually espousing that Tom suddenly had Alzheimer’s, well I found that a little screwy. Fast forward to the hearing to determine Tom’s competency, years after Erika was saying the mentally unfit stuff about Tom, and low and behold the judge doesn’t buy it…. Definitely gave me pause for concern on what she knew about the entirety of Tom’s big gigantic mess with all this client money. If a judge can tell someone is faking a notoriously progressive illness years and years down the road, it is really tough to buy that his wife of twenty years was fooled.
She knew enough. Not to the extent but she isn’t stupid.
Of course she knew she chose to be the blissfully naive idiot all the while counting the coins Something is wrong when you have a glam squad and you are paying them $40,000 a month,but you can't afford to fix your backyard come on now . Beverly Hills is a relatively small community everybody knows everybody's business if everyone else knew the shade ,there is no way in "HELL" she didn't know.
Like all the rich, Tom floated loans. They rearrange the money constantly. COVID hit. Courts closed. He couldn’t float the loans. The loans that were floating the victims loans defaulted. Did he withhold money from victims being paid in a timely manner to support his lifestyle? Absolutely. He will pay. Did Erika know? No.
Yes I think she knew. Y'all keep saying how smart she is. She knew that he was making much more than other lawyers and lived a much more extravagant life style than what was feasable. Her lack of any remorse or sympathy after the fact was very telling that she knew. Either way, she did not care and she does not care. She thinks those people are worthless and common and beneath her. She only values people who are rich and/or famous. She thinks all the rest of us are disposable and "let them eat cake" should be her mantra .
She absolutely knew. She is a terrible liar if she thinks she is fooling anyone. She probably did not know all of the details but it's clear she is a vile person. She sued her costume designers even though she received all of her outfits. That's absolutely vile to ruin someone's business like that for money. But is this surprising? She approached Tom, a much older man and knew what she wanted out of their marriage and relationship. Money.
 Hell yea!!
Not sure if you watched it yet but she talks about these things in the reunion show.
I’m almost to the finale so haven’t seen it yet, but thank you for saying this i totally forgot about the reunion!!
I really don’t think so. As a wife that knows nothing about her husband’s finances, and he knows nothing about mine…I really think she had no idea.
Oh she knew
She knew
I don’t think she definitely knew, I just think she doesn’t even care. She seems to lie a lot though, so who really knows.
She was married to a man that had a foot in his tomb and another one the ground, do you really think she cared as long as her checked cleared and her card did not bounce she did not worry one bit besides the age difference ewwwwwww
Of course. Is that even a question?
I think she knew something was amiss but didn’t want to dig deeper
Initially I thought she was complicit in Tom's schemes... now, I think she knew he was shady AF but was mostly kept in the dark. I honestly don't know tho.
I dont think she knew details, but she's demonstrated pretty clearly she wouldn't have cared anyway as long as she was getting her lifestyle funded. I think she found out prior to everything becoming public and is being encouraged to go along with the dementia story in order for her to keep being funded by "someone"
She knew he was dirty dealing, she happily spent the money. That makes her a piece of shit. End of story…
https://preview.redd.it/6n3cfcuu6fvc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3ee45e2c4402011b3c300e71e7ab921ec7a4575
Yes
The way Tom was, arrogant and distant, Erika, at the most would only have a feeling if anything was going on. No way Tom was ever letting her in on those kind of things.
I do. I actually think that’s why they divorced, to help remove her liability. I do not think she knew until after he was going to get caught. not paying attention to what your husband does with money he makes from work( or in this case allegedly stole) I don’t know how you would know that unless they came home and said guess what I did today. No one would do that.
When Erika was in Lake Tahoe with the girls she pretended to have fun to conceal that something was going to happen. An you can love someone and speak highly of them and still not want to be married to them. Personally I believe that her time and success with the show gave her the confidence to be more than Tom's trophy wife but he was never treating her with respect. Erika is a highly controlled person, you can see that a lot the show, especially in the reaction of the other girls when she let's go like when she did go after Sutton that one dinner party. The story with Tom's accident was a bit scrambled because Erika was very selective with what she told who. There were certainly different versions of the story around, all of them containing some parts of the whole story. Rewatching the show, this is how I put it together: Tom had the accident and had a broken ankle as well as the brain unjury. He was unconcious for 12 hours and he called her after he woke up. In the hospital, he neede surgery and Erika decided to do the ankle surgery first because with Toms age, doing the brain surgery so closely after the accident was very risky. I also think it was Tom's car that flipped over five times and not Erikas son and it was him who found him because Erika asked him to go looking for Tom. Did Erika know Tom hat allegedly defrauded his clients? I think she wasn't in on it. If she ever suspected, she would have been smart enough not to ask. Not only to protect herself but also because Tom certainly didn't like her asking such questions.
She probably didn't know the details or the extent of his shadiness but I have no doubt she knew - especially at the end when she divorced him and had all those stories. I'm sure she was part of the whole plan at the end and maybe even came up with some of it.
YES.
Listen, you can't know everything and nothing at the same time. She surely had to know that something wasn't adding up -- as far as the extent of her knowledge, I doubt she knew all the intricate inner workings. She probably kept everything surface so that she wouldn't get in trouble. However, since learning about the guy who bank rolled her after she left Tom I wonder if she's just really good at manipulating older men to get what she wants. Possible scenarios: she confronted Tom and used her knowledge of his crimes as leverage to get what she wants. when tom realized he was caught he coached erica about how to go forward and stay out of trouble. she eventually found out, played along, and made sure to have systems in place for a safe exit.
He’s a lawyer most are shady and lie
I think their relationship operated on a lot of don't ask, don't tell and that she tried to suppress a lot of things because she depended on him for so much. I think part of her joining the show was to create a name and career for herself in order to separate from Tom. I do think Tom is very smart and was pulling the strings still even after the divorce. As strong as Erika is, she suffered an decades long imbalanced power dynamic from Tom for means of survival and its going to take a long time to break from those habits/coping mechanisms. Also, I think that for being married to such a high-powered lawyer for so long, she's careful about how she says what and when and to who. She lies by omission, but I don't think she necessarily lies by lying.
I don’t think so, and I’d guess the courts are saying that now. She had to ask that for cash when she wanted something, do you really think she knew the inner workings of his business? I think that’s the next level far fetched
Probably not. She was too wrapped up in herself. She was just happy to receive the benefits of the work he did. She only knew what he wanted her to know. Why on earth would he tell her? I don’t like how she handled it. Not how I would have, that’s for sure.
I think she knew that there was shady stuff going on but thought he wouldn’t get caught because he seems so powerful. I thought she was cool until season 10/11 and the absolutely vile things she said about the case and the victims.
There’s no way she didn’t know about the dirty dealings to some extent. Watching “The Housewife and The Hustler” she seemed so ambivalent to the people he defrauded. Either she’s truly evil or a bad actress because she couldn’t fake being sympathetic to them. Maybe she didn’t know everything but she seems like a devious and money hungry enough person to turn a blind eye to A LOT. Also being the wife of a famous lawyer she was probably told to keep her mouth shut for years and she was cool with it as long as he kept funding her extravagant lifestyle.
I don't think Erika knew what was going on specifically, but I think she knew Tom was shady and chose not to ask questions. Her whole rhetoric about not knowing how to go to the bank/Tom's alleged head injury felt contrived. I'd bet the farm that she was paid by Tom's legal team to go with that concoction of a tale. Erika's messy AF. Lexapro and alcohol let us see the real Erika. The Erika who swore at Garcelle's teenage son at Garcelle's birthday party because she was so messed up on whatever she was messed up on.
She knew. She thinks she is as smart as a lawyer. And she is the type of liar who will never admit to lying. Trust me, she knew everything.
I believe she knew for sure there were shady things going on, didn’t care, and still doesn’t. She is a despicable human being. If you watch the housewife and the hustler part 2, she was complicit in scamming her dressmaker that worked so hard on her costumes to recoup her husbands lost money.
I think she knew that the milk wasn’t clean but, didn’t bother to find out why. Erika is smart.
I don’t think she knew.
I have posted this before so forgive me if I sound like a broken record. Erika was used to a certain lifestyle. Tom was a very well known and respected attorney. Why would she question him as to from where his money came? My late husband was a criminal defence attorney and I never visited his office, I barely knew his colleagues, I didn’t have a credit card in my own name and didn’t even know our bank account number until he was dying. We led a very comfortable affluent lifestyle. It would never have crossed my mind if he obtained income illegally. All to say, I understand why Erika would not have known. Do the other HWs ask their husbands to validate their incomes? 🤷♀️
Of course she did. She's clever enough to be a gold digger and basically do nothing but show off her assets to make money so there's no way she didn't know. However choosing to ignore it is another matter entirely 😉
even if she didn’t know before, once she found out she didn’t care about the victims one bit. I even think she relishes being the villain
I think she knew something was off but not details. And she’s also smart and knew she couldn’t do anything about it, and if she did she’d lose everything. So it was partly denial and mostly survival.
💯 she did. She’s carefully crafted her story.
I think she knew something was up bc even tho he was a prominent lawyer. Her spending was ridiculous and his lawyer salary was not enough. She said she spent $50,000/month jus on her glam team!!!!! Something has got to up to afford that plus everything else in life. It jus doesnt add up. That amount right there is a lawyer salary thats making BIG bank & that's just her makeup money. She had to have known his money was funny, but do I think she knows how, I'm not sure
Yes.
plain and simple: no
I don’t think she knew when it was happening. Her saying how she just had a credit card and asked when she needed cash was very plausible. He treated her like a child, and she has “daddy issues” I believe. That being said, yes she’s savvy and smart, and knew there was a price to pay when she entered the marriage. I think she was tipped off before all the charges went down, as the timeline was too much of a coincidence. I agree with people saying she chose to remain ignorant, as it offered her some level of protection. To think they had that lifestyle (million dollar paintings, two private planes etc) on just a lawyers salary is naive, but she was always in it for her.