Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti has been sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding his former client, Stormy Daniels. In February, a federal jury convicted the one-time legal superstar for wire fraud, agreeing with the prosecution that he embezzled $300,000 in book proceeds intended for Daniels. The sentence was handed down today by US District Judge Jesse Furman in federal court in Manhattan.
Avenatti was already serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence relating to his efforts to extort Nike for millions of dollars. Part of the four-year sentence will be served concurrently with his existing sentence.
Prior to sentencing, Avenatti told the judge, “I have destroyed my career, my relationships and my reputation,” and as he was representing himself, proposed a three-year sentence with one year running alongside his Nike sentence.
Prosecutors, however, recommended a more “substantial” prison term, including a mandatory two-years for identity theft.
Avenatti’s court troubles are not yet at an end. He still faces charges of defrauding other clients; this affair ended in a mistrial last August, but the California-based case is still ongoing.
