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Already behind bars for stealing from his most famous client — porn star Stormy Daniels —disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced Monday to another 14 years in prison.
Battling to keep his emotions under control, the 51-year-old attorney told the court he was sorry for bilking four other clients out of millions of dollars.
“I am deeply remorseful and contrite,” Avenatti said in Santa Ana, Calif. “There is no doubt that all of them deserve much better, and I hope that someday they will accept my apologies and find it in their heart to forgive me.”
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In addition to handing down a sentence that could keep the once-prominent attorney locked up for 20 years total, the judge in the case ordered Avenatti to pay $10 million to his victims.
He pleaded guilty in June to four counts of wire fraud and tax charges after being accused of winning money on behalf of his clients, then adding those funds to his own riches.
The prosecutor in the case accused Avenatti of being “just another criminal who thinks the law is something that applies to other people.”
Over the summer, he was convicted of stealing book proceeds intended for Daniels, a.k.a. Stephanie Clifford, whose “Full Disclosure” memoir documented her alleged affair with former President Donald Trump. Trump, whose former lawyer Michael Cohen said he paid Daniels to stay quiet about the fling with his boss, denied the affiar.
Avenatti soaked up the spotlight while representing Daniels, frequently going on television to bash the former president on his client’s behalf. The dapper, closely shaven attorney toyed with the idea of a White House run, telling CNBC in 2019 there was a 50-50 chance he’d throw his hat into the ring.
“Never say never,” Avenatti declared.
With News Wire Services
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