Michael Avenatti, the disgraced lawyer who came to fame representing Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, has been sentenced to 14 years in the slammer for stealing millions of dollars from his clients.
U.S. District Judge James V. Selna in Santa Ana, California handed down the sentence on Monday, which will be served after he finishes serving a five-year sentence for extortion and fraud.
Judge Selna also ordered Avenatti to pay approximately $8 million in restitution to his victims and $3.2 million to the government for taxes he owes.
Avenatti’s fall from grace has been staggering. From representing the porn star in her lawsuit against the president to now being sentenced to a decade-plus in the clink. Talk about a wild ride.
Once the darling of the Democrat Party and the darling of far-Left cable news networks, disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti has been sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his clients.
Among those victims is Geoffrey Ernest Johnson, a paraplegic man who is mentally disabled. Avenatti stands accused of defrauding five of his clients via a series of fraud schemes.
“To this day, I do not know why Michael lied and deceived me, why he broke my trust, why he broke my heart,” Johnson wrote in a statement. “I trusted him implicitly, I believed the things he told me, but it was all part of his plan to defraud me of my settlement.”
“To this day, I have a hard time trusting people because of what Michael did, and I live in constant fear of being taken advantage of again, particularly given my physical disability,” Johnson added.
“Michael Avenatti was a corrupt lawyer who claimed he was fighting for the little guy. In fact, he only cared about his own selfish interests,” United States Attorney Martin Estrada said.
“He stole millions of dollars from his clients – all to finance his extravagant lifestyle that included a private jet and race cars. As a result of his illegal acts, he has lost his right to practice law in California, and now he will serve a richly deserved prison sentence.”