A Santa Ana (California) court sentenced former U.S. attorney Michael Avenatti to 14 years in prison for tax fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation of millions of dollars from four of his clients.
Known for defending porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against Donald Trump, Avenatti admitted to defrauding millions of dollars from his clients. Their strategy consisted of negotiating financial agreements using their principals to subsequently divert the profit to their bank accounts. Clients estimate the value of losses to be around $7.6 million. Apart from that, the former lawyer, who represented himself in court, avoided paying about $3 million in taxes.
His 14-year prison sentence is in addition to the $10.8 million he must pay to defrauded customers and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as compensation for damages. Federal prosecutor Martín Estrada pointed out Avenatti’s corruption:
Michael Avenatti was a corrupt lawyer who claimed to fight for the individual, but only cared about his own selfish interests. His only concern was to finance his extravagant lifestyle.
Avenatti will begin his sentence after he completes his five-year sentence in New York state prison for attempting to extort $20 million from Nike and trying to steal $300,000 from Stormy Daniels.
