Left-leaning lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 14 years in prison after admitting he cheated four of his clients out of millions of dollars.
The sentence adds up to the five-year prison term he is currently serving for separate convictions in New York. In addition, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna has also ordered him to pay $7 million in restitution.
Breaking: Michael Avenatti was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison Monday for dodging taxes and stealing millions of dollars from clients.
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 5, 2022
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Avenatti pleaded guilty to four charges of wire fraud and a tax-related felony earlier this year. He claimed that he did so because he wanted to be responsible and protect his family from additional shame.
He was accused of negotiating and collecting settlement payments on behalf of his clients while diverting the funds into accounts under his control.
Before sentencing, Avenatti apologized to the four victims, three of whom were present in the courtroom.
“I am deeply remorseful and contrite,” Avenatti said. “There is no doubt that all of them deserve much better, and I hope that someday they will accept my apologies and find it in their heart to forgive me.”
Avenatti’s criminal conduct “arose from calculated choices and egregious violations of the trust” his clients placed in him, Prosecutor Brett Sagel told the court.
“He didn’t turn to his criminal actions by desperation, by need, by the inability to do anything else,” Sagel said. “Despite the significant advantages that this defendant had — a first-rate education, a thriving legal career — he chose to commit the deplorable acts in this case time and time again.”
The prosecution had asked for an extra 17.5 years to be added to the lawyer’s sentence. Avenatti, who represented himself in the proceedings, requested a sentence of no more than six years to run concurrently with his current prison sentence.
Avenatti is currently serving time in Southern California for two different crimes. He was found guilty of stealing Stormy Daniels’ book royalties, the porn star who made him famous by hiring him to defend her in court disputes with then-President Donald Trump, and of attempting to extort Nike by demanding up to $25 million in cash.
He represented Daniels in her lawsuit against Trump for violating a confidentiality agreement regarding an alleged romance.
