Tom gerodi testifies in fraud trial amid Alzheimer's diagnosis denies wrongdoing in embezzlement case in a dramatic turn of events in the ongoing criminal fraud trial of Tom gerodi the former attorney took the stand for cross-examination on Thursday despite his diagnosis of late onet Alzheimer's disease and dementia 3 years prior Jodi who once headed the now defunct Law Firm Jodi and keys is facing serious charges for allegedly embezzling approximately $15 million from his clients between 2010 and 2020 as gerodi 83 testified in a downtown Los Angeles courthouse he vehemently denied any wrongdoing asserting the last thing I would do would be to take someone's money I wouldn't think of it his testimony comes at a time when his mental health has been a focal point of the trial with gerodi admitting to memory lapses during questioning the disbar attorney has been accused of misleading clients about their settlement funds particularly in the case of Joe Ru Gomez a young man who suffered severe burns due to a gas line explosion when questioned about the discrepancies in Ru gz settlement Jodi claimed he never intended to deceive his former client I wouldn't have said that he insisted when asked why he told Ru Gomez that his settlement was $5 million rather than the actual amount of $53 million I didn't intentionally ever tell anyone the wrong thing he reiterated jod explained that his statements were influenced by concerns about Ru Gomez and alleged really bad drug problem which he claimed led to a judge requiring that the settlement funds be distributed gradually however evidence from the Internal Revenue Service indicated that funds intended for Ru Gomez were quickly redirected to settle debts with Jodi's previous clients I wasn't about to go quote stealing money gerodi asserted maintaining his innocence throughout the proceedings he also pointed fingers at his former Chief Financial Officer Chris cman claiming he was responsible for significant financial mismanagement stating he stole a lot of money obviously we didn't know about it Jodi described cman as very clever in stealing millions of dollars suggesting that he was unaware of the extent of the financial misconduct despite having been found competent to stand trial earlier this year gerodi displayed some signs of cognitive decline during his testimony when asked if he recalled Ru Gomez's testimony he admitted no he also failed to recognize his former assistant's earlier testimony and mistakenly asserted that his Law Firm was still operational despite its closure in 2021 at one point when asked to State his name gerodi responded I don't know bad mean terrible it's one of those the legal troubles for Jodi began to unfold in December 2020 coinciding with a hospitalization for what was described as a serious illness his brother Robert gerodi lat L revealed that Tom was experiencing short-term memory loss leading to Robert being appointed as his temporary conservator since the fall of 2021 the former attorney has resided in a senior living facility as he grapples with his declining Health jerod's former wife R Jane star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has publicly supported claims about his deteriorating mental state in May 2022 she detailed her experience of speaking with him noting I take his call and it's never more than 10 seconds and sometimes he thinks I'm someone else this statement echoed the concerns of those close to him regarding the extent of his cognitive decline as the trial progresses closing statements from both the prosecution and defense are expected to take place on Monday gerodi faces four counts of fraud with the possibility of receiving a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each count if convicted the outcome of this high-profile case is being closely Ed not only for its legal implications but also for the heartbreaking Glimpse it provides into the life of a once powerful attorney now facing the consequences of his actions amidst significant health challenges