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Michael Avenatti (February 2022 in New York): Conviction for fraud
PHOTO: BRENDAN MCDERMID/ REUTERS
Ex-lawyer Michael Avenatti, best known for the Stormy Daniels case, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for fraud.
That was decided by a judge in Santa Ana, California.
According to the verdict, Avenatti must also pay compensation of ten million dollars.
According to the indictment, Avenatti cheated clients out of millions and evaded taxes.
The 51-year-old always followed the same pattern with different clients and enriched himself with them, the New York Times quoted the public prosecutor as saying.
Lavish lifestyle
He was accused of negotiating and collecting settlement payments on behalf of his customers.
Avenatti funneled the money into accounts he controlled and spent it on his lavish lifestyle, including a private jet.
Avenatti pleaded guilty to multiple counts.
The former star lawyer is already in prison after being convicted of two other offenses in New York State.
On the one hand, he was found guilty of attempted extortion of the sporting goods manufacturer Nike.
The jury also found it proven that Avenatti had cheated his ex-client Daniels out of nearly $300,000.
He had taken action for the porn actress against former US President Donald Trump for an alleged affair.
Avenatti had made a name for himself in the United States as Daniels' attorney.
Daniels says she had sex with Trump in 2006, which Trump denies.
Trump's longtime attorney Michael Cohen paid hush money to Daniels and another woman to avert damage to the Republican during the campaign.
wit/dpa/AP
