A Florida attorney improperly used funds from a pandemic-era support program to advance a scheme that helped “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne manipulate the legal system, according to a new lawsuit.
Jayne falsely claimed Marco Squared LLC engaged in credit card fraud as part of a conspiracy to defraud American Express, the clothing company told the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida on Friday. Attorney James L. Wilkes II succeeded in frustrating legal processes in suits where Marco Squared and others tried to clear their names or secure compensation, according to the complaint.
Wilkes said he denies that he did “anything improper.”
Jayne is estranged from former California attorney Tom Girardi, who received an 87-month prison sentence in June for stealing millions of dollars from his clients. Girardi, famous for his portrayal in the film “Erin Brokovich” and appearances on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” stole from clients who’d lost family members in plane crashes and gas explosions.
Girardi spent the clients’ settlement money on private jets and Jayne’s entertainment career.
Wilkes, Girardi’s and Jayne’s friend, helped Jayne and her two top aides in hiding their conspiracy to defraud American Express by accusing the plaintiffs of credit card fraud, according to the complaint.
Wilkes used loans from the Paycheck Protection Program to pay attorneys to defend Jayne and her aides in lawsuits, the complaint says. Those loans were meant to pay salaries and prevent layoffs at Wilkes’ law firm due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wilkes perpetrated a fraud on the federal program by overstating the number of Wilkes Firm PA employees, the complaint says, and by falsely claiming that his employees lost salaries during the pandemic.
The defendant used these funds to hire and supervise attorneys in civil lawsuits against Jayne and directed those attorneys to shield Jayne from cross-examination and depositions in violation of attorney conduct rules, the suit says. The purpose of this alleged conspiracy was to intimidate Marco Squared from pursuing litigation against Jayne.
Wilkes doesn’t have legal representation, according to the docket.
Williams & Syfrett PLLC represents the plaintiffs.
The case is Marco Squared LLC v. Wilkes, M.D. Fla., No. 25-cv-3146, complaint 11/14/25.
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