By David Thomas

April 11 (Reuters) - The former chief financial officer of disbarred California attorney Tom Girardi's law firm has been sentenced to 121 months in prison for stealing millions of dollars in client funds.

Christopher Kamon, 51, was also ordered by a federal judge in Los Angeles to forfeit $8.9 million. He pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud in October.

Federal prosecutors for the Central District of California asked for more than 10 years in prison for Kamon, while Kamon said he should only receive 30 months in prison. Kamon has been incarcerated in federal jail since his arrest in November 2022.

"This defendant played a key role in a long-running scheme led by Tom Girardi," U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a statement. "For nearly 20 years, Kamon enabled Girardi's scheme to defraud vulnerable clients of the law firm."

A lawyer for Kamon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Both Kamon and Girardi, whose legal battle against Pacific Gas & Electric Co inspired the Oscar-winning film "Erin Brockovich," were charged in February 2023 with five counts of wire fraud for allegedly embezzling $15 million from clients of their law firm Girardi Keese from 2010 to 2020.

Girardi was convicted by a federal jury of wire fraud in August 2024 following a trial in which he attempted to blame the missing funds on Kamon.

U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton is weighing whether to sentence Girardi to a federal prison or a medical facility.

Kamon was also facing separate criminal charges in Los Angeles for allegedly embezzling $10 million from Girardi Keese. Prosecutors said Kamon used the embezzled funds on extensive home remodeling, exotic sports cars and an escort. Kamon's plea agreement resolved both California cases.

He is still facing separate criminal charges in Chicago for allegedly misappropriating more than $3 million in client funds owed to families of the victims of the 2018 Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia. He has pleaded not guilty.

(Reporting by David Thomas)

((D.Thomas@thomsonreuters.com;))