Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti could face more than 330 years in prison after he was charged with 36 counts, including tax violations, embezzlement, and fraud.
“If convicted of the 36 crimes alleged in the indictment, Mr. Avenatti would face a statutory maximum sentence of 333 years in federal prison plus a mandatory two-year consecutive term for an identity theft count,” said an official in the CBS video.
A jet co-owned by Avenatti, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, was seized on April 10 as part of an investigation, AP reported.
“These four areas of criminal conduct alleged in the indictment are all linked to one another because money generated from one set of crimes appears in other sets—typically in the form of payments to lull victims and to prevent Mr. Avenatti’s financial house of cards from collapsing,” U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna told AP.
Avenatti is possibly best known for representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits.
On Twitter, the lawyer said he “intend[s] to fully fight all charges and plead NOT GUILTY. I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me.”
Later, he added that “any claim that any monies due clients were mishandled is bogus nonsense.”
“By way of example only (there are MANY more like this), here is a document Mr. Johnson signed less than a month ago attesting to my ethics and how his case was handled. I look forward to proving my innocence,” Avenatti tweeted.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Avenatti faces as many as 47 years in prison if he is convicted on charges of attempting to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
Avenatti, the Times reported, is free on $300,000 bond.
His lawyer, John Littrell, said an indictment means nothing.
“We intend to fully investigate the charges and provide Mr. Avenatti the robust defense he deserves,” Littrell said.
