Michael Avenatti Has Been Sentenced To Four Years In Prison For Stealing From Stormy Daniels

There was a time when Michael Avenatti was just Stormy Daniels’ popular hunky lawyer. But now? Well, depending on who you ask, they might still consider him to be a hot lawyer, but he’s also about to be someone’s cellmate in a federal correctional facility. And to think, it wasn’t that long ago that it felt like Michael Avenatti was going to be the one to send unsavory criminals to the big house. But Michael Avenatti revealed himself to be not a great guy in recent years, and now he’s about to face some major consequences for defrauding and thieving from his former client Stormy Daniels.

Michael Avenatti’s downfall from Stormy’s cute lawyer to inmate began with a domestic violence allegation in 2018, which was quickly followed by Stormy herself claiming that she was about to drop him. Not because of the abuse allegations but because she was suspicious of the way he was acting as her lawyer. According to Stormy, she felt that Michael might have been talking on her behalf without her approval, filing a second lawsuit against Donald Trump (which she didn’t want to do), and acting cagey when she would ask where crowdfunded money was being spent.

Stormy’s intuition was good, because not long after, federal prosecutors accused Avenatti of swiping $300,000 of Stormy’s money through a book deal she landed. In February, a judge agreed that all the evidence pointed to a guilty verdict, and Michael Avenatti was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated theft. The wire fraud, because Michael Avenatti allegedly contacted Stormy’s publisher and requested a two-part advance on the $800,000 she was given for her 2018 book, Full Disclosure, which also allegedly involved forging his client’s signature. And the theft because, well, he kept that money he requested on her behalf. And now a judge has determined that Michael’s $300,000 shady scheme is worth four year in the clink. via CNN:

District Judge Jesse Furman said Avenatti’s conduct was “so brazen and egregious” adding, he “took advantage of a vulnerable victim given her unorthodox career and somewhat unorthodox beliefs.” He faced as much as 20 years on the wire fraud charge and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.

Avenatti was also ordered to pay $148,750 to Daniels and $297,900 to the US.

Ironically, while Michael Avenatti’s sentence was handed down while he’s currently already serving another sentence for extortion. Two years ago, he was found guilty of three counts of extorting Nike – yes the shoe company – to the tune of $25 million. He’s currently serving a 30-month prison sentence for that. CNN says that part of Michael’s 4-year sentence will be served alongside his Nike sentence, but that at least two and a half years of the Stormy-related sentence needs to be its own thing.

The craziest part is that this isn’t even the last trial involving money corruption that Michael Avenatti has to deal with! CNN notes that Stormy’s former lawyer will be going to trial next month to face charges of tax fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and the embezzlement of $10 million worth of settlement funds from five clients. So yeah, Michael Avenatti Super Lawyer turned out to be a bit of a scam artist, and that’s something he acknowledged at his sentencing today. via CNN:

“I have destroyed my career, my relationships and my reputation and have done collateral damage to my family and my life,” he said while fighting back tears. Avenatti argued that for most of his career he had fought for the underdog. “There is no doubt I made a series of mistakes and exercised poor judgment.”

At the height of his popularity, Michael Avenatti had to shoot down rumors that he would be running for President. Now he’s a disgraced lawyer with a resume that includes extortion, wire fraud, and theft. I’m not related to Merriam or Webster, but Michael Avenatti might be underselling it just a little when he says he made some “mistakes“. He’s a lawyer! He’s got the laws right there in front of him! The only mistake here would be accidentally spelling your client’s name with an I instead of a Y when you got to forge their signature.

Pic: INSTARimages