Tom Girardi was under investigation for more than 200 disciplinary issues

• Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills actress
• After 21 years of marriage, Erika, 51, and Tom filed for divorce in November 2020 as the allegations of racketeering and embezzlement were intensifying.
• Tom was accused of stealing money from a settlement for the loved ones of victims of a plane tragedy in 2018, among other places.

Tom Girardi, the estranged husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills actress Erika Girardi, was probed for more than 200 “disciplinary offenses” before being formally disbarred in August 2021, according to information from the State Bar of California.

Tom, 83, was allegedly under investigation for charges of client trust account violations, misrepresentations to courts and clients, failure to engage with clients, failure to deliver, and other claims throughout his legal career, according to an open letter from the agency.

The letter states, “The State Bar opened 205 disciplinary actions regarding Girardi during the past 40 years.” About 120 of the 205 incidents concerned charges of client trust account abuses.

The letter stated, “Of these 205 disciplinary cases, the State Bar received 69 complaints on or after December 18, 2020, when a petition was filed to put Girardi’s law business into bankruptcy, alleging client trust account violations in nearly 60 of those recent allegations.”

Tom’s handling of his disbarment, according to the State Bar, “brought to light fundamental flaws in the State Bar’s attorney discipline system” that “have contributed to a loss of confidence in the State Bar’s ability to carry out our basic role of protecting the public.”

“There is no excuse being offered here,” the letter continued. “Girardi caused irreparable harm to hundreds of his clients, and the State Bar could have done more to protect the public.”

Additionally, the organization committed to “never allow something like to happen again.”

In August 2021, amid escalating accusations of racketeering and theft against Tom and his business, word spread that Tom had been federally disbarred. Tom did not appeal the verdict, according to paperwork submitted to the Central District of California that PEOPLE at the time was able to access.

After 21 years of marriage, Erika, 51, and Tom filed for divorce in November 2020 as the allegations of racketeering and embezzlement were intensifying. There were both criminal and civil accusations, the latter of which also named Erika.

Tom was accused of stealing money from a settlement for the loved ones of victims of a plane tragedy in 2018, among other places. Erika insists that she was not aware of Tom’s alleged criminal activities, which led to the California Federal Court’s decision to strip him of his legal license. There are no federal lawsuits that mention her.

The plaintiffs who were suing Erika for allegedly “aiding and abetting” her estranged husband in a fraudulent scheme were recently found to have failed to establish that she had any knowledge of the alleged crimes, which Erika took as a positive development despite the fact that the legal battle is still ongoing.

“Two years now down the road, we’re getting some really great rulings, and I’m grateful for that,” she said during the RHOBH panel at last weekend’s BravoCon 2022. “And more to go… So I’m in a much better place, and I’m grateful for that.”

Tom was given dementia and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis in March 2021, in the midst of his legal troubles and divorce from Erika. He was sent to a nursing home with round-the-clock care that July.

In February 2021, the former lawyer was placed under a temporary conservatorship overseen by his younger brother, which was later declared permanent in July.

Erika provided an update on Tom’s health during a May interview on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, informing the host Andy Cohen that his status had not changed.

“Tom resides in a care center for the elderly. It won’t get better, I can only say deterioration and further decline,” she said, pointing out that Tom still tries to reach out even if their phone chats “last about five seconds.”

Then, when Cohen, 54, questioned Erika about whether Tom is aware of his legal issues, Erika replied, “He thinks he’s still practicing law,”