Former legal heavyweight Tom Girardi was sentenced on Tuesday to seven years and three months in federal prison for ripping off $15 million from injured clients in a long-running Ponzi scheme.

Girardi, who turned 86 on Tuesday, was ordered to surrender to begin his prison sentence on July 17.

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He was also directed to pay more than $2.3 million in restitution and fines.

The sentencing came a day after U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton said that despite Girardi's age-related dementia, she would sentence him to prison rather than placement in a long-term care facility.

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