Michael Avenatti Is Indicted in California on Financial Crimes Charges
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer known for representing Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Trump, has been indicted by a Southern California grand jury on fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement and other charges.
The federal charges were disclosed in The Los Angeles Times and other news outlets.
Federal prosecutors in California planned a news conference for later in the day Thursday.
Mr. Avenatti will face 36 counts of perjury and various financial crimes. Prosecutors say he received settlements for clients, but did not inform them and kept and hid the money.
“I intend to fully fight all charges and plead not guilty,” Mr. Avenatti said on Twitter on Thursday. “I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me.”
He also evaded taxes on the money, prosecutors say.
“For 20 years, I have represented Davids vs. Goliaths and relied on due process and our system of justice,” Mr. Avenatti said on Twitter. “Along the way, I have made many powerful enemies. I am entitled to a full presumption of innocence and am confident that justice will be done once all of the facts are known.”
Mr. Avenatti is already facing charges in New York of trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike, threatening to reveal improper payments to basketball recruits.
Mr. Avenatti, 48, was a fixture on cable news as an antagonist to Mr. Trump as Ms. Daniels’s case played out.
Two suits by Ms. Daniels, an adult film actress, against Mr. Trump have been dismissed.
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