District Judge Jesse Furman said Avenati’s behavior was “so brazen and impressive”, adding that he had “taken advantage of a vulnerable victim given her unorthodox career and somewhat unorthodox beliefs”.
Avenati was convicted in February of one count of wire fraud and one count of identity theft. He was facing 20 years on charges of physical fraud and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft. Avenati is currently serving a 30-month sentence for trying to extort more than $ 20 million from Nike, threatening to go public with harmful information unless paid. He will be tried next month in California on charges of embezzling $ 10 million in settlement from at least five clients. He was also charged with tax fraud and insolvency fraud and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Part of Thursday’s sentence will be served along with Nike’s sentence, but Furman said Avenati will have to serve another two and a half years after serving Nike’s sentence.
Avenati was also ordered to pay $ 148,750 to Daniels and $ 297,900 to the United States.
Furman told Avenati, “I hope you make better use of your great talents.”
Avenati, dressed in beige prison clothes with chained ankles, became emotional when he turned to the judge.
“I ruined my career, my relationships and my reputation, and I did damage to my family and my life,” he said as he struggled with tears. Avenati claims that he has fought for the outsider for most of his career.
“There is no doubt that I made a series of mistakes and made bad judgments,” Avenati said.
Furman said it was a “tragic, sad … sorry case”, noting that Avenati “is quite smart and has great legal skills. What has changed? I don’t know the answer to that question.”
He said that at one point Avenati’s “healthy ambition” turned into “blind ambition”. The judge said Avenati’s apology letter to Daniels was “too little, too late”.
The fall of a prominent lawyer
The turmoil is a dramatic turnaround for Avenati, who became known as representing Daniels when she went public with allegations that she received a $ 130,000 payment just before the 2016 presidential election to quell allegations of an affair with then-candidate Donald Trump. Trump denied the affair.
Following the publicity of the silent money scandal, Avenati helped Daniels make a deal for a book worth $ 800,000. Prosecutors said Avenati stole nearly $ 300,000 from the advance by fabricating a letter allegedly from Daniels redirecting payments from the book’s publisher to an account controlled by Avenati.
Avenati represented himself at the trial and fired the lawyers appointed by the court during the trial. Prosecutors called 10 witnesses, including Daniels, who testified that Avenati lied to her and betrayed her. Avenati attacked Daniels’ trust during a cross-examination by questioning her about her belief in the paranormal, and he suggested he was entitled to take part of her book in advance for the work he had done, although this was not in their written contract. Avenati did not testify and did not call witnesses in his defense.
Last month, Avenati wrote an apology letter to Daniels, which he handed to the judge, in which he said: “Obviously, I have failed you in many ways and I have disappointed and disappointed you in many ways.” He added: “I wish we could turn the clock back so that the mistakes I made will never happen again. I’m really sorry.”
Clark Brewster, Daniels’ lawyer, said after the verdict: “Mistakes and misjudgments, this is far from it. It was a fraudulent scheme of lies and slander, very different from a mistake. This was not a mistake. Dishonesty was calculated. “
He said Daniels was “happy to be held accountable”.
“When we talked in the last few days, although she is angry about what she has done, she regrets his plight and his family, as well as me. I think she will be happy with the decision. Whatever Judge Furman had done would be acceptable to Stormy. She is a giver, a loving person and also a forgiver, “Brewster said.
Robert Baum, Avenati’s lawyer, said Avenati was “upset” by his inability to practice law. He said that when Avenati finishes the overall five-year sentence, including the Nike verdict and the Daniels case, he hopes “it will be able to have a significant impact on the community”.
Avenati hugged Baum in court, waved to a number of supporters, and said, “Thank you,” before U.S. marshals led him out of the courtroom.
Avenati was transferred from the FCI Terminal Island in California, where Nike is serving his sentence, to the capital’s detention center in New York for sentencing on Thursday. He will be transported back to California for the process next month.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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