Michael Avenatti. Photo: David Handschuh/ALM

A California federal judge has ordered Michael Avenatti, the brash attorney convicted of extorting millions of dollars from Nike Inc., temporarily released from a Manhattan jail due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On April 10, U.S. District Judge James Selna of the Central District of California approved Avenatti's release for 90 days from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, after his attorneys argued that a recent bout with pneumonia had made the 49-year-old lawyer more susceptible to complications from COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Under the terms of his release, Avenatti's defense attorney, H. Dean Steward, would deliver him from MCC in Lower Manhattan to the house of Avenatti's friend, Jay Manheimer, in Venice, California. Avenatti would be required to post $1 million bond and submit to electronic monitoring, the judge said.

Avenatti must also be tested for COVID-19 and complete a mandatory 14-day quarantine period prior to his release from MCC, Selna wrote in a 7-page order posted April 10.

Avenatti, best known for his high-profile representation of adult-film star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump, had been awaiting sentencing from MCC, after a federal jury in Manhattan convicted him in February of trying to shake down the Oregon-based sports apparel giant for between $15 and $25 million.

He is also expected to face trial later this year on separate charges that he stole money from his former client, Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Avenatti has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Avenatti petitioned Selna for temporary release last month, saying that he was at high risk of contracting COVID-19 and that his cellmate had recently been removed due to flu-like symptoms.

In his order, Selna said the outspoken attorney would be under close surveillance and would be barred from accessing the internet or opening any new bank accounts during his release.

"Defendant may, however, possess and use a non-internet connected telephone, approved by Pretrial Services, to communicate with his attorneys, family, friends and for other basic living needs during the 90-day term of his temporary release," he wrote.

Selna, who is presiding over a third criminal case in California accusing Avenatti of stealing millions of dollars from former clients, ordered Avenatti jailed in January, after he was arrested for violating the terms of his pretrial release there.

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