Former Accounting Chief at Defunct Law Firm Sentenced to Prison for Embezzlement

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 | 0

The man who led the accounting department of a defunct Los Angeles law firm was sentenced Friday to 121 months in federal prison for his role in the organization's long-running embezzlement operation.

Christopher Kazuo Kamon, 51, pleaded guilty in 2024 to two counts of wire fraud. In addition to time behind bars, he was ordered by the U.S. District Court for Central California to pay $8.9 million in restitution for taking part in the Girardi Keese firm's scheme to steal millions from its clients' settlements.

In a separate case, Kamon admitted to stealing from his employer for personal enrichment.

“Not only did he participate in a scheme to embezzle from clients, but Mr. Kamon also embezzled from the firm itself for his own personal use, including to purchase a multimillion-dollar home in the Bahamas," Tyler Hatcher, special agent in charge with the IRS Criminal Investigation field office in Los Angeles, said in a statement.

In August 2024, a federal jury found Tom Girardi guilty of four counts of wire fraud. The Los Angeles Times reports that federal prosecutors are seeking a 14-year sentence.