Michael Avenatti Faces Fraud Charges in the Courtroom
In a Santa Ana federal courthouse, potential jurors are set to start filling out questionnaires next week in a fraud case against one of the Trump era’s forgotten celebrities: Michael Avenatti.
The looming courtroom spectacle will spotlight years of alleged financial crimes by Avenatti, who rocketed to fame in 2018 when he sued then-President Donald Trump on behalf of porn star Stormy Daniels, but for years was entangled in complicated court proceedings involving large debts and broken Los Angeles-area law partnerships.
It’s set to begin five days after Avenatti is due in New York City for sentencing on a felony conviction handed down by a jury there in January 2020 related to an extortion scheme against Nike. Prosecutors in that case say they want him to serve “very substantial prison time.” Probation officials say he’s legally eligible for an 11- to 14-year sentence, but are instead recommending eight years. His lawyers, meanwhile, are asking for six months followed by a year of home confinement, saying the loss of his law license and his “epic fall and public shaming” will already deter him from future crimes.
