Remember Michael Avenatti? There was a historical moment when he was the Democratic Party’s great hope. Avenatti was going to harpoon the Dems’ white whale, Donald Trump. This was via his representation of Stormy Daniels, with whom Trump evidently had a fling and to whom he later wrote a check. It was a personal check to cover a personal expense, and didn’t come from campaign funds, so there was no legal problem. True, for a presidential contender to have a tawdry affair is seedy at best, but in response I offer two words: John Kennedy. Also two more: Bill Clinton.
At one time, Democrats referred to Avenatti unironically as the “savior of the Republic.” They also touted him as a presidential candidate. But it all fell apart when he was sentenced to prison for robbing Ms. Daniels–Trump treated her much better–and for trying to extort money from Nike.
But that wasn’t the last of it. Now, Avenatti has been sentenced to 14 more years in prison, on top of the sentence he is already serving, for stealing money from his clients:
Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced on Monday to 14 years in federal prison for defrauding his clients and for obstructing IRS efforts to collect payroll taxes from his coffee business.
He was also ordered to pay $7 million in restitution.
ABC recalls Avenatti’s salad days:
For a time, the brash lawyer was a fixture on cable news shows and the topic of flattering magazine pieces. Reporters asked him about his skin-care routine and Tom Ford suits while he and Daniels posed for photographer Annie Leibovitz.
Avenatti also briefly dipped his toe into the presidential candidacy pool, dining with potential donors and forming a political action group to accept donations.
But Avenatti perpetrated theft of the worst kind:
An indictment against Avenatti stated that he stole millions of dollars from clients after they received settlements in various cases. Those funds were supposed to only flow through Avenatti but stayed with him instead, according to prosecutors.
One of the clients who said he was never paid was Geoffrey Johnson, who is paraplegic. Johnson won a $4 million settlement against Los Angeles County in 2015. Prosecutors said that money was paid to Avenatti but was never given to Johnson.
This is such a crude crime that one wonders how Avenatti could possibly have hoped to get away with it. Likely he thought his Democratic Party connections would shield him. But the Democrats’ infatuation with a media star does not last beyond his or her useful life. Just ask Cindy Sheehan.
Finally, lest we forget, here via InstaPundit is a montage of the Democrats’ adoration of Michael Avenatti back when they thought he could do them some good:
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