Incarcerated lawyer Michael Avenatti pleaded guilty Thursday to four counts of wire fraud and a tax-related charge in a federal court case in Southern California accusing him of cheating his clients out of millions of dollars. Federal prosecutors accused Avenatti of cheating clients out of millions by negotiating and collecting settlement payments on their behalf and funneling the money to accounts that he controlled. Avenatti is serving five years in prison in a federal facility in California for convictions in two cases in New York. Avenatti was scheduled to stand trial on some of the California counts in July, with a trial on the rest to follow. California Michael Avenatti denies embezzlement charges in California Lawyer Michael Avenatti is on trial in California on charges of embezzling millions of dollars from his clients.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 17, 2022 02:39 UTC