Michael Avenatti

2022 - 12 - 5

Trump foe Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for ... (CNBC)

Michael Avenatti earned fame for being a major antagonist of then-President Donald Trump. At one time he even considered a White House candidacy himself.

"He stole millions of dollars from his clients — all to finance his extravagant lifestyle that included a private jet and race cars," the top prosecutor said. City Attorney later declined to lodge charges in that case. The L.A. Avenatti "would lie about the true terms of the settlement agreement he had negotiated for the client, conceal the settlement payments that the counterparty had made, secretly take and spend the settlement proceeds that belonged to the client," prosecutors wrote. [who already was in prison for one of the prior cases](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/14/disgraced-lawyer-michael-avenatti-found-guilty-in-nike-extortion-trial.html), pleaded guilty in June to four counts of wire fraud and one count of trying to obstruct the administration of the federal tax code. - Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced in California to 14 years in prison for stealing about $7.6 million from clients, and for tax fraud.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 more years in prison for ... (CBC.ca)

Avenatti rose to fame for defending porn star Stormy Daniels against Donald Trump, then stealing her money. The Associated Press · Posted: Dec 05, ...

In another instance, prosecutors said Avenatti collected a $2.75 million US settlement payment for a client and used much of the money to buy a private airplane. He referenced helping reunite immigrant children separated from their parents by the Trump administration, and representing a rape victim while out on bail in this case. In California, prosecutors said Avenatti collected $4 million US from Los Angeles County for a man who suffered in-custody injuries and was left paraplegic after a suicide attempt, but denied the settlement was received. "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 pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of wire fraud and a tax-related charge without reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors, saying he wanted to be accountable and spare his family further embarrassment. The sentence should run consecutively to the five-year prison term he is currently serving for separate convictions in New York, U.S.

Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing millions ... (CNN)

Disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $11 million in restitution for embezzling millions ...

He would then embezzle and misappropriate those funds, according to the indictment, and to prevent discovery of his scheme, he would tell clients the settlement proceeds hadn’t yet been paid, among other tactics. According to the indictment, after Avenatti negotiated settlements for the clients that required payment to go to them, he would lie to the clients about the terms of the settlements, instead depositing the funds into attorney trust accounts he controlled. 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.” [Avenatti pleaded guilty earlier this year](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/16/politics/michael-avenatti-guilty-plea/index.html) to four counts of wire fraud for each client he stole from and one count of endeavoring to obstruct the administration of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal prosecutors said in a court filing at the time that they wouldn’t move ahead with the remaining 31 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud and tax-related charges because the judge could consider those allegations when he eventually sentenced Avenatti. [ sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison](https://twitter.com/USAO_LosAngeles/status/1599857824506314752?s=20&t=vVFKzSK67fC4iO0KPXxS2A) and ordered to pay nearly $11 million in restitution for embezzling millions of dollars from four of his clients and obstruction.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison ... (Department of Justice)

SANTA ANA, California – Suspended plaintiffs' lawyer Michael John Avenatti was sentenced today to 168 months in federal prison for stealing millions of ...

But when the second stock sale was finalized and the company sent nearly $8.15 million, all of which belonged to Phan, Avenatti kept $4 million for himself and used this money to pay some of his law firm’s bankruptcy creditors, including the IRS; to provide funding for his various businesses; and to make lulling payments to Johnson, Gardner and Barela. Avenatti never told Johnson about the settlement agreement and terms, and he concealed from Johnson the receipt of the settlement payment from the county. When the first payment was made, Avenatti took his fees for the overall $35 million sale and sent the balance to Phan. Avenatti gave Gardner a small “advance” for rent and made approximately 12 monthly payments, totally approximately $227,500, making them appear to come from the individual who paid the settlement, but then Avenatti stopped paying Gardner. “Although the details pertaining to each of the four clients underlying the charges in the indictment differ, the general pattern was the same,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors. Avenatti embezzled the first installment of $1.6 million in January 2018, in part by providing Barela with a bogus settlement agreement indicating that the payment was going to be made two months later. - Gregory Barela was to receive a $1.9 million settlement in an intellectual property dispute. - Alexis Gardner obtained a $3 million settlement in a matter, which included a payment of $2.75 million in early 2017. The county paid a $4 million settlement in January 2015, but within months Avenatti had drained the entire settlement payment from his law firm’s trust account and used portions of the settlement to finance his coffee business and pay personal expenses. He has been a federal prisoner since on February 7, soon after he was ordered to begin serving a sentence in one of the New York cases. 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.” It is our sincere hope that his victims will take some solace in the fact that he has been held accountable for his criminal actions.”

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti, onetime opponent of Donald ... (News/Talk 94.9 WSJM)

(NEW YORK) — Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in federal prison for defrauding his clients and for obstructing IRS ...

Yet the entire time, according to prosecutors, Avenatti had the $4 million and was using it for personal and business expenses. Prosecutors said that money was paid to Avenatti but was never given to Johnson. One of the clients who said he was never paid was Geoffrey Johnson, who is paraplegic. An indictment against Avenatti stated that he stole millions of dollars from clients after they received settlements in various cases. Reporters asked him about his skin-care routine and Tom Ford suits while he and Daniels posed for photographer Annie Leibovitz. Attorney Nick Hanna said in 2019.

Michael Avenatti sentenced to 14 years for cheating clients out of ... (The Guardian)

Lawyer known for representing Stormy Daniels also ordered to pay $7m on top of time he is already serving.

“He has also done great evil, for which he much answer,” the judge said before sentencing him. He referenced helping reunite immigrant children separated from their parents by the Trump administration and representing a rape victim while out on bail in this case. “He didn’t turn to his criminal actions by desperation, by need, by the inability to do anything else,” Sagel said. My view of humanity has certainly changed, and not for the better.” Avenatti pleaded guilty this year to four counts of wire fraud and a tax-related charge without reaching a plea deal with federal prosecutors, saying he wanted to be accountable and spare his family further embarrassment. “I am deeply remorseful and contrite,” Avenatti said.

'It Is Now Time to Pay His Debts': Michael Avenatti to Serve More ... (Law & Crime)

Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced Monday to 14 years in prison for defrauding four clients out of millions of dollars over several years.

Avenatti is appealing both his convictions in that case and his convictions in the Nike case in the 2nd Circuit U.S. Sagel said the “malevolence” of Avenatti’s actions is magnified by the fact that “he didn’t need to do what he did in this case.” He didn’t commit his crimes out of financial desperation. “Everyone has become a witness to this criminal and this crime,” Gardner said. “Meeting Michael and then having him steal my money is the worst thing that has happened to me,” Johnson said. Johnson and Gardner spoke after Sagel, with Johnson in an electric wheelchair because of paraplegia that he was part of the reason he hired Avenatti in November 2011. “He wants to focus the attention on anywhere and everybody but himself. “A number of people expressed that to me as well as my advisory counsel and others who were helping me ask for letters.” Bush appointee who was a longtime partner at the white-shoe law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP, didn’t change his mind on anything, and he questioned why prosecutors were recommending a break for Avenatti to 210 months when the low-end of his standard range under the U.S. Selna inside the courtroom, “I trusted Michael with all my heart” and started to tear up as he said it’s still difficult for him to accept that Avenatti “really did steal all my money from me.” Selna ordered nearly $7.6 million in restitution to Avenatti’s four client victims which includes the last-minute carve out of $671,750 to Avenatti’s former law partner Michael Eagan, who settled a lawsuit with victim Geoff Johnson and is to be paid by Avenatti only if the clients are first, which is unlikely. Avenatti’s voice cracked again as he ended with a plea to the judge who’s presided over his case since shortly after his initial arrest in March 2019: “I respectfully ask the court to allow me a future and another chance. “I feel a sense of closure from the proceeding today,” he said.