How the mighty fall.
Attorney Michael Avenatti on Friday was convicted of defrauding his former client, porn star Stormy Daniels.
Avenatti faces up to 22 years in prison.
In charging documents filed in 2019, feds say Avenatti took money from Stormy Daniels that she was supposed to get from a book deal.
Avenatti had pleaded not guilty to embezzling the $300,000 and vowed to appeal.
“I am very disappointed in the jury’s verdict,” Avenatti said. “I am looking forward to a full adjudication of all the issues on appeal.”
Reuters reported:
Lawyer Michael Avenatti, who rose to fame for taking on then-U.S. President Donald Trump before a string of criminal charges ended his legal career, was convicted on Friday of defrauding a former client, porn star Stormy Daniels.
Avenatti, who faces up to 22 years behind bars, had pleaded not guilty to embezzling nearly $300,000 in book proceeds intended for Daniels.
Avenatti, who is based in Los Angeles, agreed to surrender himself to U.S. marshals in California on Feb 7. Sentencing was scheduled for May 24.
Following the verdict, Avenatti, who was wearing a black mask and a suit with a diamond-patterned tie, switched his gaze back and forth between the jury and down at the table he was sitting at.
Daniels, the prosecution’s star witness, testified that Avenatti had led her to believe her publisher had not disbursed advance payments totaling $297,500 for her memoir, “Full Disclosure,” when she asked in 2018 and early 2019 about the delays.
She said she later learned that Avenatti had diverted the money to an account he controlled, without telling her.
“I felt very betrayed and stupid,” Daniels said. “Michael had been lying and stealing from me.”
Avenatti downplayed the dispute as a disagreement over legal fees. He said his contract with Daniels, 42, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, entitled him to a reasonable share of her book and media proceeds.
Avenatti is currently appealing his conviction after he was charged with trying to extort $25 million from Nike.
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