This guy was to run for the democrats and tried to extort money from Nike . Spent 2.5 years in jail was going to sue the Gov for harsh jail conditions. Hopefully he'll get more than 2.5 years.
Avenatti was accused of pocketing nearly $300,000 from adult film actress Stormy Daniels' $800,000 advance for her autobiography in 2018
Michael Avenatti has been found guilty of charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to allegations he bilked a former client, adult film star Stormy Daniels, out of nearly $300,000 charges in book proceeds.
The jury spent about 15 and a half hours deliberating before returning the verdict. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years.
Earlier on Thursday, jurors sent a note that they were unable to come to a consensus on the wire fraud charge. Lawyers on each side were discussing with U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman how to respond to the note, though Furman said he was inclined just to tell them to "keep at it." He instructed them to continue their deliberations, reminding the jurors of the commitment they made to work toward a verdict.
After the jury resumed deliberations, Avenatti told reporters: "The case isn’t as clear-cut as the government wants everybody to believe."
Avenatti was accused of pocketing nearly $300,000 from adult Daniels' $800,000 advance for her autobiography, "Full Disclosure," in 2018. Prosecutors said Avenatti used a fake document to make it appear as though Daniels approved of her book proceeds going into a bank account controlled by him.
Daniels and Avenatti were a team in 2018 as he represented her in lawsuits against former President Donald Trump. She hired him in her bid to speak publicly about claims of a tryst with Trump a decade earlier, despite being paid $130,000 shortly before the 2016 presidential election to remain silent.
Avenatti, who represented himself during the trial, told jurors during closing arguments on Wednesday that he and his firm had spent millions of dollars "to the benefit of Ms. Daniels" and that he had a "good faith belief" that he was entitled to a "reasonable percentage" of proceeds after being "instrumental" in securing and finalizing her book deal.
"I was her advocate, I was her champion. I put everything on the line. I wanted to help her," Avenatti said. "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."
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman argued that Avenatti "got tangled in his own web of lies," pointing the jury to a "mountain of evidence," 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 said. "The defendant's lies and betrayal were exposed."
The verdict comes after Avenatti was already sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike with threats that he would otherwise spoil the apparel maker's reputation. The Los Angeles case resulted in a mistrial last year as Avenatti represented himself.
www.foxbusiness.com
Avenatti was accused of pocketing nearly $300,000 from adult film actress Stormy Daniels' $800,000 advance for her autobiography in 2018
Michael Avenatti has been found guilty of charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft related to allegations he bilked a former client, adult film star Stormy Daniels, out of nearly $300,000 charges in book proceeds.
The jury spent about 15 and a half hours deliberating before returning the verdict. The wire fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while the aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of two years.
Earlier on Thursday, jurors sent a note that they were unable to come to a consensus on the wire fraud charge. Lawyers on each side were discussing with U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman how to respond to the note, though Furman said he was inclined just to tell them to "keep at it." He instructed them to continue their deliberations, reminding the jurors of the commitment they made to work toward a verdict.
After the jury resumed deliberations, Avenatti told reporters: "The case isn’t as clear-cut as the government wants everybody to believe."
Avenatti was accused of pocketing nearly $300,000 from adult Daniels' $800,000 advance for her autobiography, "Full Disclosure," in 2018. Prosecutors said Avenatti used a fake document to make it appear as though Daniels approved of her book proceeds going into a bank account controlled by him.
Daniels and Avenatti were a team in 2018 as he represented her in lawsuits against former President Donald Trump. She hired him in her bid to speak publicly about claims of a tryst with Trump a decade earlier, despite being paid $130,000 shortly before the 2016 presidential election to remain silent.
Avenatti, who represented himself during the trial, told jurors during closing arguments on Wednesday that he and his firm had spent millions of dollars "to the benefit of Ms. Daniels" and that he had a "good faith belief" that he was entitled to a "reasonable percentage" of proceeds after being "instrumental" in securing and finalizing her book deal.
"I was her advocate, I was her champion. I put everything on the line. I wanted to help her," Avenatti said. "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."
However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman argued that Avenatti "got tangled in his own web of lies," pointing the jury to a "mountain of evidence," 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 said. "The defendant's lies and betrayal were exposed."
The verdict comes after Avenatti was already sentenced to two and a half years in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike with threats that he would otherwise spoil the apparel maker's reputation. The Los Angeles case resulted in a mistrial last year as Avenatti represented himself.
Michael Avenatti found guilty of bilking Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300K in book proceeds
Avenatti was accused of stealing nearly $300,000 from adult film actress Stormy Daniels' advance for her autobiography, "Full Disclosure", in 2018.
www.foxbusiness.com
And yet not one of them was convicted of ripping off a woman earning her pay on her back. Is that a lefty or a lawyer thing?
