It was another crushing defeat for the California lawyer, who has faced a host of legal problems.
Michael Avenatti was convicted Friday of charges he cheated the adult-film actress out of nearly $300,000 she was supposed to get for writing a book about an alleged tryst with former president Donald Trump. Avenatti stared straight ahead as the verdict was read. It was another crushing defeat for the California lawyer, who has faced a after briefly rising to fame as one of Trump’s leading antagonists on cable news early in the Republican’s administration. Avenatti dumped his lawyers and decided to represent himself shortly after the trial began, setting up a face-to-face showdown with Daniels, his former client, who appeared in a new role as star witness. Prosecutors portrayed Avenatti as a common thief and serial liar. He countered by seeking to cast himself as a white knight who came to the rescue of Daniels until he turned on her. Over two days of cross-examination, he questioned her about the allegations that he’d swindled her out of book proceeds — and about ghost stories she’d told for a possible show about the supernatural world. Avenatti still faces other legal problems. He has yet to begin serving a he received in 2020 for trying to extort up to $25 million from sportswear giant Nike. He also is awaiting a retrial in Los Angeles on charges that he ripped off clients and others for millions of dollars.
