Michael Avenatti, the twice-convicted lawyer who represented porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battles against former President Donald Trump, volunteered to plead guilty to “several” felony offences in California on Sunday.
Avenatti, 51, is already serving a five-year sentence after being found guilty of fraud and identity theft in February for diverting over $300,000 in book proceeds intended for Daniels, and of attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike Inc. in February 2020. …
In the California case, he may face more than 300 years in jail for taking millions of dollars from clients, lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a bankruptcy court, and defrauding a bank, among other crimes.
Avenatti claimed he wants to plead guilty “to be accountable; take responsibility; avoid further burdening his former clients; save the court and the government significant resources; and spare his family further shame” in a filing with the federal court in Santa Ana, California.
Avenatti’s filing did not specify how many offences he wanted to plead guilty to or which ones he wanted to plead guilty to.
It stated that despite his “significant efforts” in the last 30 days, he has been unable to strike a plea agreement with prosecutors and is seeking a court hearing.
Following a mistrial last August, a trial on the first ten accusations has been set for July 26. Avenatti is acting as his own attorney in this case.
Requests for comment were not immediately returned by prosecutors or a spokesman for United States Attorney Tracy Wilkison in Los Angeles. Avenatti’s lawyer, Dean Steward, declined to comment.
On Sunday, Michael Avenatti, the twice-convicted lawyer who represented porn actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battles against former President Donald Trump, agreed to plead guilty to “multiple” felony charges in California.
Avenatti, 51, is already serving a five-year sentence for defrauding over $300,000 in book sales intended for Daniels and attempting to extort up to $25 million from Nike Inc. in February 2020, after being found guilty of fraud and identity theft in February. …
He could face more than 300 years in prison in the California case for stealing millions of dollars from clients, lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a bankruptcy court, and defrauding a bank, among other offences.
He has been unable to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors despite his “substantial efforts” in the last 30 days, according to the statement, and is seeking a court hearing.
After a mistrial in August, a trial on the first ten charges has been scheduled for July 26. In this situation, Avenatti is representing himself.
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Avenatti is appealing his conviction and 2-1/2-year sentence in the Nike case, as well as his four-year sentence in the Daniels case, which he has filed a notice of appeal for. The five-year term is the result of the partial overlap of the sentences.
U.S. v Avenatti, No. 19-cr-00061, United States District Court, Central District of California.
