Former celebrity lawyer and Donald Trump antagonist Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his clients, far more time than he received following two previous criminal convictions.
A judge in federal court in Santa Ana, California, handed down the sentence Monday, the Justice Department said in a statement. Avenatti, 51, was also ordered to pay nearly $11 million in restitution to four clients as well as the Internal Revenue Service.
Avenatti "has done great evil for which he must answer," U.S. District Judge James V. Selna said, according to the Justice Department statement. He ordered the former lawyer to serve the sentence consecutively with his previous prison terms. That means Avenatti, who began serving his sentences in February, could spend nearly 20 years behind bars.
"The sentence imposed today on Mr. Avenatti was unreasonable and 'off the charts' harsh," his lawyer Dean Steward said in an email. "The prosecution acted vindictively throughout the case, ending in this flatly unfair sentence."
The list of victims in Avenatti's final criminal case included a
Avenatti, who shot to fame as lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels, was
And in 2020, a jury found Avenatti guilty of trying to extort $25 million from Nike Inc. during settlement talks on behalf of another client. He was sentenced in July 2021 to a 2 1/2-year prison term in that case.
