Attorney Michael Avenatti, the onetime opponent of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, identity theft, and a tax offense. He reportedly stole $300,000 in revenue.
He was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a federal judge in California.
Michael Avenatti ordered to pay nearly $150,000 restitution to Stormy Daniels: https://t.co/FSghiDyhS3 pic.twitter.com/oyBsHSxtVn
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 24, 2022
“Feel good story of the day!” Donald Trump Jr. responded to the news.
“Apparently the below worked out about as well as all his other scams,” Trump Jr. added:
Feel good story of the day!
BREAKING: Incarcerated lawyer Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for defrauding his clients and for obstructing IRS efforts.
Apparently the below worked out about as well as all his other scams. pic.twitter.com/t0GStv9lPr— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 5, 2022
Avenatti admitted that he was embezzling money from clients. He also endeavored to obstruct the Internal Revenue Code’s administration for obstructing and impeding IRS efforts to collect payroll taxes.
“In imposing the 14-year sentence, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna ordered that Avenatti’s term of imprisonment run consecutive to sentences totaling five years previously imposed in two federal cases in the Southern District of New York,” the office said.
NEW: Incarcerated celeb lawyer and former anti-Trump media darling Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison, $7 million restitution payment for cheating his clients out of millions: https://t.co/eoWz7EspIn pic.twitter.com/xnRFAOnS03
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) December 5, 2022
The money was stolen from his former client Stormy Daniels’ book “Full Disclosure.” He sentenced to 30 months in prison in June 2021 for trying to extort Nike.
Michael Avenatti has just been sentenced to 14 years in prison for defrauding his clients and stealing millions of dollars.
Remember back in 2018 when CNN was promoting him for president? 🤡 pic.twitter.com/ixJhIFsvQO
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 5, 2022
Avenatti first gained national recognition for his representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with President Donald Trump.
In 2007, Avenatti left O’Melveny & Myers to start his own law firm, Eagan Avenatti LLP. The firm quickly gained a reputation for representing clients in complex business litigation and class action lawsuits.
Some of the firm’s notable cases include a $454 million judgment against Kimberly-Clark Corporation and a $40 million settlement with LendingTree.
In 2018, Avenatti’s representation of Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump brought him widespread media attention.
The case centered on a nondisclosure agreement that Daniels signed in exchange for $130,000, which she claimed was meant to prevent her from discussing an alleged affair with Trump.
Avenatti’s aggressive legal tactics and frequent media appearances made him a household name and a frequent critic of the president.