Michael Avenatti arrives at federal court in New York on Feb. 3, 2022. Photo: Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Michael Avenatti was convicted Friday of charges that he stole nearly $300,000 from porn actor Stormy Daniels, AP reports.
Driving the news: Jurors convicted Avenatti of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for instructing Daniels’s literary agent to send him $300,000 that belonged to Daniels for her book, "Full Disclosure," about an alleged affair with former president Donald Trump.
- Avenatti, who represented himself, had pleaded not guilty, arguing that the evidence against him was insufficient. The jury, which deliberated over three days, sided with federal prosecutors, ABC News reports.
- "The defendant was a lawyer who stole from his own client. She thought he was her advocate, but he betrayed her," assistant U.S. attorney Robert Sobelman said, per ABC News.
- "He told lies to cover it all up, lies he told to try to get away with it," Sobelman said.
The big picture: The verdict is the latest blow to the now-disgraced lawyer, who was a frequent guest on cable news shows, and who last year was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for trying to extort Nike out of more than $20 million.
- Avenatti, once considered a rising Democratic star, and a potential 2020 candidate, is also awaiting a retrial in Los Angeles for charges that he defrauded clients and others for millions of dollars, per AP.
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