US lawyer Michael Avenatti, who rose to fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in his legal battles with Donald Trump, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Already in jail for separate sentences, Avenatti admitted to cheating four of his clients out of millions of dollars.
He was also ordered to pay more than $10m (£8.2m) in restitution. The prison sentence will run consecutively to the five years he is currently serving for stealing the proceeds of Daniels’ book and for attempting to extort Nike into paying him up to $25 million ($20.5 million). pound sterling).
This is the last of three major federal criminal cases to conclude against the 51-year-old Californian, who has become one of the former president’s main opponents.
Avenatti pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of wire fraud and one tax charge. He was accused of negotiating and collecting settlement payments on behalf of his clients and funneling the money to accounts he controlled and spending it on his own lavish lifestyle, including a private jet.
Prosecutor Brett Sagel told the Santa Ana, Calif., court: “Despite the significant advantages this defendant had — a top-notch education, a thriving legal career — he chose to commit the deplorable acts in this case time and time again. .
“The defendant is just another criminal who thinks the law applies to other people.”
His voice cracking, Avenatti apologized to his victims, including two who told the court how the loss of the money and their trust in someone they thought had turned their lives upside down.
In one incident, Avenatti collected a $4m (£3.3m) settlement from Los Angeles County for a man who suffered injuries while in custody and was left paraplegic after a suicide attempt , but Avenatti never told him the money had been received.
Instead, authorities said Avenatti used the funds to finance his coffee business and pay for personal expenses, and gave the man smaller amounts ranging from $1,000 to $1,900 than he called advances on the larger settlement.
The man, Geoffrey Johnson, told the court: ‘I’m not sure I can trust anyone else again.
Avenatti rose to prominence representing Daniels, who claimed she was quietly paid to remain silent about an extramarital affair with the former president donald trump.
Daniels had sued Mr. Trump in 2018 and tried to overturn a nondisclosure agreement regarding the alleged affair.
Avenatti has become a regular chat guest, often outspoken about Mr Trump. Commentators even suggested at one point that Avenatti might run for president.