Michael Avenatti appears via video in a civil case related to a n attorney fee fight between ex-clients and an ex-co-counsel in Orange County Superior Court's West Justice Center In Westminster, California, on April 13, 2022. (Photo: Meghann M. Cuniff/ALM) 'Send a Message to Lawyers': Judge Sentences Michael Avenatti to 4 Years in Prison for Defrauding Stormy Daniels
While espousing the need for a "substantial sentence," U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman also agreed the sentencing guidelines for wire fraud were too harsh.
June 02, 2022 at 02:40 PM
7 minute read
Agreeing that the guideline range is too harsh, a New York federal judge on Thursday sentenced Michael Avenatti to four years in prison for defrauding Stormy Daniels out of book-contract money in 2018.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in the Southern District of New York said he hopes the case "will send a message to lawyers" across the country that if they steal and lie to clients, "you will pay a steep price."
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