A California attorney has pleaded guilty in federal court in Chicago to criminal contempt for failing to ensure that settlement funds were distributed to the families of victims killed in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash.
Keith Griffin, 54, of Temple City, California, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt in the Northern District of Illinois. Sentencing is scheduled for August 6, 2026.
Griffin was employed by Girardi Keese, a personal injury law firm based in California that represented relatives of those who died when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea. The firm filed lawsuits against Boeing Co., which resulted in settlements in 2020. According to court documents, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin ordered that $7.5 million in settlement funds be distributed to clients as soon as possible.
Although Boeing transferred the funds into Girardi Keese’s client trust account in March 2020, Griffin admitted that he knew for eight months that the full amount was not sent to clients despite repeated requests and demands from them.
In his plea agreement, Griffin stated: “On multiple occasions I confronted another attorney at the firm, Thomas Girardi, about paying the money to the clients.” He also acknowledged knowing that Girardi did not distribute those funds as required by Judge Durkin’s order during that period. The victims’ families eventually received their settlements after an insurer for another law firm paid them.
The guilty plea was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Emily Vermylen are representing the government.
Thomas Girardi, 86, of Seal Beach, California—who led Girardi Keese—was convicted by a federal jury in Los Angeles in 2024 for embezzling millions from other clients’ settlements and was sentenced last year to more than seven years in prison after prosecutors informed the court about misappropriation related to Lion Air victims’ funds.
Two other employees from Girardi Keese were also charged as part of this investigation. David Lira, an attorney from Pasadena, pleaded guilty last year to criminal contempt for failing to comply with Judge Durkin’s order and received a sentence including four months imprisonment and four months home confinement along with community service requirements. Christopher Kamon, former Chief Financial Officer from Palos Verdes, pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud connected with helping embezzle victim settlement funds; he was sentenced to over five years imprisonment concurrent with a ten-year sentence he received previously for a related scheme.
More details on Keith Griffin’s plea agreement can be found here: u.s._v._griffin_-_plea_agreement.pdf
