Where Is Michael Avenatti, the Lawyer Convicted of Defrauding Stormy Daniels, Now?
"This seems like such a nice prison for him to stay at considering what he did!"
Published April 15 2024, 1:37 p.m. ET
If you're a purveyor of adult cinema, or follow legal media scandals closely, then the name Stormy Daniels might ring a bell. The pornographic actress went to trial with her former lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who was ultimately convicted of defrauding Daniels. Reuters reported that in March of 2024, the federal appeals court upheld its verdict against Avenatti. So what is the legal representative up to now?
Where is Michael Avenatti now, after losing his appeal to Stormy Daniels?
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ultimately ruled that they would be upholding Avenatti's conviction for his fraudulent activity against Daniels, which included charges of "wire fraud and identity theft," according to the media outlet.
The prosecution in the case charged Avenatti with a scheme they argued was a deliberate effort from him to finagle $300,000 out of Daniels' "book contract proceeds." The lawyer purportedly sent a letter with Daniels' signature to her literary agent, which Avenatti purportedly forged.
Avenatti addressing a crowd.
Michael Avenatti made headlines in 2018 and 2019 after Daniels claimed to previously have had sexual encounters with former president Donald Trump, alleging that she was paid "hush money" in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement.
Avenatti represented Daniels in these claims, stating that the NDA between her and Trump was void.
Daniels would ultimately end up suing Avenatti for defrauding her, and she isn't the only client of his to have legal gripes with the way he operates.
Avenatti was also convicted in February of 2020 for purportedly "extorting Nike" along with "cheating four other clients" in June of 2022 "out of millions of dollars," per Reuters.
Avenatti is now serving time in prison.
Reuters went on to say that he attempted to also appeal the 14-year prison sentence he was slapped with as a result of his Nike scandal, but that was also rejected.
As of this writing, Avenatti is set to be released from prison on Oct. 4, 2035. He is currently incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in San Pedro, Calif.
NBC News broke down the terms of Avenatti's time locked up, while adding that jail time wasn't the only punishment he was facing — he was also ordered to hand over $7 million in restitution to his clients.
The outlet reported that Avenatti was "sentenced in Southern California on Monday to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay $7 million in restitution after admitting he cheated four of his clients out of millions of dollars. The sentence should run consecutively to the five-year prison term he is currently serving for separate convictions in New York, U.S. District Judge James V. Selna said during a hearing in Santa Ana, California."
What kind of conditions can Avenatti expect while in Terminal Island? It's classified as a "low security" federal prison, and there are folks, like this YouTuber, who've penned videos about how "unusual" this particular prison is, citing "notable incidents" like COVID-19 outbreaks that occurred within its walls. "This seems like such a nice prison for him to stay at considering what he did!" the YouTuber said.