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.

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.

During a nearly three-hour hearing Monday, Staton heard testimony from two government medical experts and two defense witnesses, and ultimately determined that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons can adequately house and care

See Full Page