Michael Avenatti was convicted Friday for bilking his former client, Stormy Daniels, out of almost $300,000 in book-advance money.
Avenatti was found guilty of charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. He now faces a maximum of 22 years in prison for the convictions.
The jury began deliberating Wednesday, spending about 15 and a half hours before returning the verdict on Friday afternoon.
Avenatti was ordered to surrender to federal court officials in California no later than 5 p.m. on Monday. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on May 24.
After the verdict, Avenatti made a brief statement to reporters. “I’m very disappointed in the jury’s verdict. I am looking forward to a full adjudication of all of the issues on appeal,” he said.
Clark Brewster, who represents Daniels, told Fox News “The text communications between Stormy and Mr Avenatti in real time was overwhelming proof of his deceit and embezzlement. The forgery of her name and his concealed directive to wire the money to him was irrefutable”.
“Still, Mr Avenatti possessed the uncanny ability to steadfastly deny the crimes and persuade others he was entitled to the embezzled funds. Stormy is pleased that the justice system worked,” he added.
Daniels and Avenatti worked together in 2018 when he represented her in lawsuits against former President Trump.
He was accused of pocketing nearly $300,000 from Daniels’ advance for her autobiography, “Full Disclosure”.
Avenatti, who represented himself during the trial, said “I was her advocate, I was her champion. I put everything on the line. I wanted to help her”.
“According to the government, Michael Avenatti could never have believed that he had the right to be paid. That is ludicrous, and it is not supported by the evidence,” he added.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman said Avenatti “got tangled in his own web of lies”. A “mountain of evidence” was discovered, including text messages and bank statements.
“The defendant was a lawyer who stole from his own client. She thought that he was her own advocate, but he betrayed her, and he told lies to try to cover it all up,” Sobelman stated.
