Michael Avenatti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Avenatti
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Avenatti in 2018
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| Born |
Michael John Avenatti
February 16, 1971 Sacramento, California, U.S.
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| Education | Saint Louis University University of Pennsylvania (BA) George Washington University (JD) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) |
Christine Carlin
(divorced)Lisa Storie
(m. 2011; div. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Legal Information | |
| Status | Currently in prison at Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island |
| Conviction(s) |
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| Criminal penalty | Sentenced to prison |
Michael John Avenatti (born February 16, 1971) is an American former lawyer. He is currently in federal prison for breaking laws about money and business. He became well-known for representing Stormy Daniels, an actress, in lawsuits against then-U.S. President Donald Trump. He was also found guilty of trying to get money from the sports company Nike unfairly. He was also found guilty of taking money from other clients.
In the late 2010s, Avenatti often appeared on TV and in newspapers. He shared his thoughts on legal and political topics. He also represented many well-known people. In 2019, he faced charges in California and New York for various money-related crimes. He was found guilty of trying to get money from Nike unfairly in 2020. He was later sentenced to prison. More time was added to his sentence for taking money from Stormy Daniels. In 2022, he received an additional sentence for taking money from other clients. He is currently in prison.
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Early Life and School
Michael Avenatti was born on February 16, 1971, in Sacramento, California. He spent his early years in Colorado and Utah. His father worked as a manager for a large company. In 1982, his family moved to Chesterfield, Missouri. He went to Parkway Central High School there.
After finishing high school in 1989, Avenatti attended Saint Louis University for one year. He then moved to the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a degree in political science in 1996. While in college, he worked for a political consulting company. He helped look into what political opponents were doing. After college, Avenatti went to George Washington University Law School. He studied law there and worked with a professor on important legal questions.
Avenatti graduated in 2000. He was at the very top of his law school class. In 2003, the George Washington Law School started an award named after Michael J. Avenatti. This award goes to a graduating law student who shows great skill in preparing for and handling court cases. Avenatti also received an award from the university in 2010.
Working as a Lawyer
While in college and law school, Avenatti worked for a company that helped political campaigns. He worked on more than 150 campaigns for both Democrats and Republicans. These campaigns were in 42 different states.
After law school, Avenatti worked at a law firm in Los Angeles, California. He helped with many legal cases. These included representing famous people like singer Christina Aguilera. He also worked on cases for the musicians Don Henley and Glenn Frey from the band The Eagles.
Later, Avenatti joined another law firm in Los Angeles. There, he handled several important cases. These included a case about unfair statements against Paris Hilton. He also worked on a case about an idea for a TV show called The Apprentice. He also handled a large case about money that was taken unfairly from a company.
In 2007, Avenatti started his own law firm, Eagan Avenatti, LLP. It had offices in Newport Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. His firm took on many important lawsuits. He appeared on the TV show 60 Minutes three times because of cases he handled.
Avenatti also led some very large cases. These included a $454 million jury decision in 2017 in a case against two companies. This amount was later changed to $21.7 million. He also helped get an $80.5 million agreement for a group of people.
In 2013, Avenatti started a company called Global Baristas. This company bought a coffee chain called Tully's Coffee. He first worked with actor Patrick Dempsey on this, but Dempsey later left the project. Since 2015, Global Baristas has been involved in many lawsuits. These cases were about not paying bills or taxes.
In 2015, Avenatti won a case against the National Football League (NFL). He then tried to start a group lawsuit for fans who had tickets for Super Bowl XLV but couldn't get real seats. However, the courts did not allow this group lawsuit. In 2016, he filed another group lawsuit against the NFL. This was for people who had tickets to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, which was canceled just before it started.
In 2017, a person claimed Avenatti did not pay him for investigation work. This led to Avenatti's law firm having financial problems. In 2018, his law firm faced a $10 million judgment in court. Avenatti also did not pay $440,000 in back taxes. His law firm had agreed to pay money to a former partner and for back taxes. In June 2018, the former partner asked the court to claim any money Avenatti's firm might get from clients.
In November 2018, Avenatti's law firm was asked to leave its office. This happened after they missed $213,000 in rent payments. In January 2019, a former client said Avenatti misused money from a settlement. On June 3, 2019, the California State Bar, which oversees lawyers, asked for Avenatti to be temporarily stopped from practicing law. This was because of the criminal cases against him.
Racing Career
Starting in 2010, Avenatti drove in about 33 sports car races. These races took place in the United States and Europe. Some famous races he competed in include the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. He also raced in the Long Beach Grand Prix.
In 2015, Avenatti raced in the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. He was part of a team with a Saudi Prince and a Polish driver. They drove a Ferrari 458 Italia car. His team finished seventh in their class.
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class pos. |
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| 2015 |  JMW Motorsport |
 Kuba Giermaziak Abdulaziz al Faisal |
Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 | GTE Am |
320 | 36th | 7th |
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Pepsi Points Case
Before a famous lawsuit about Pepsi in 1999, Avenatti was a law student. He was hired by a person named John Leonard. Leonard was suing Pepsi because of a TV ad. The ad seemed to offer a Harrier jet plane for a very small number of "Pepsi Points." Avenatti helped Leonard talk to the media to get public support.
Avenatti later appeared in a 2022 Netflix show called Pepsi, Where's My Jet?. He talked about his role in helping John Leonard. His interviews for the show were filmed while he was under house arrest.
Immigration Work
Avenatti provided a video to the news channel MSNBC in 2018. The video showed a child who was separated from her mother by immigration officials. This video was shared by a former employee whom Avenatti represented. The video was part of the public discussion about the U.S. government's policy of separating families at the border.
Julie Swetnick Allegations
Avenatti announced in 2018 that he had a client who made claims against Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was being considered for a high court position. The client, Julie Swetnick, said that Kavanaugh behaved badly in high school. Kavanaugh denied these claims.
Avenatti said he had another woman who would support Swetnick's claims. However, this woman later told NBC News that she did not see Kavanaugh do anything wrong. She said Avenatti twisted her words. Kavanaugh was later approved for the high court position. Some politicians criticized Avenatti for how he handled these claims.
Work for R. Kelly Accusers
In 2019, Avenatti represented several people linked to the musician R. Kelly. These included people who said they were victims and their parents. Avenatti accused Kelly of breaking the rules of his bail. Avenatti also spoke out against Kelly's interview with a TV host.
Possible Presidential Campaign
Avenatti showed interest in running for President of the United States in 2020. He started a political group and held a fundraiser. In September 2018, Avenatti said he would only run if Donald Trump or Mike Pence were also running. On November 1, 2018, Avenatti released his first political ad. It encouraged Americans to vote. However, on December 4, 2018, Avenatti announced he would not run for president. He said he made the decision out of respect for his family.
Legal Problems and Prison
Avenatti's attempts to get money from Nike became very aggressive. Prosecutors later said he was trying to get money unfairly. Nike had agreed to pay a coach to settle a case. However, Avenatti did not tell the coach about this offer.
On March 25, 2019, Avenatti was arrested in New York City. Prosecutors said he tried to get up to $25 million from Nike. He threatened to share damaging information about the company. Avenatti had announced he would hold a press conference the next day. He claimed he would reveal information about a basketball scandal involving Nike.
Prosecutors said Avenatti planned to offer to cancel the press conference for money. Avenatti was released on a $300,000 bond that evening. On February 14, 2020, Avenatti was found guilty of trying to get money from Nike unfairly. On July 8, 2021, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Other Money-Related Convictions
Also on March 25, 2019, prosecutors in Los Angeles announced more charges against Avenatti. They said he took money from a client. They also said he tricked a bank to get more than $4 million in loans. Prosecutors also claimed Avenatti had not filed his personal tax returns for several years.
On April 10, 2019, Avenatti was charged with taking money from his client, NBA player Hassan Whiteside. Whiteside had sent Avenatti money to pay a settlement to his ex-girlfriend. Avenatti was accused of keeping most of this money. He used some of it to invest in a private jet. Federal agents later took a private jet that Avenatti partly owned. Avenatti denied these charges.
On April 11, 2019, 36 more charges were announced. These were all about money crimes. Avenatti was accused of taking money from clients to buy a $5 million private jet. He was also accused of fraud related to tax documents. Prosecutors said he used money from one crime to help with other crimes. They said he did this to keep his financial situation from falling apart. Avenatti said he would "fully fight" the new charges. He said he had represented many people against powerful groups for 20 years.
Avenatti said he was guilty on June 16, 2022. On December 5, 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. This was for taking money unfairly and for trying to stop the IRS from collecting unpaid taxes for Tully's Coffee. Avenatti is currently in prison.
Taking Money from Stormy Daniels
On May 22, 2019, Avenatti was charged with taking money from his former client, Stormy Daniels. This happened while he was helping her with a book deal in 2018. Avenatti said he was not guilty. He was released on bail. He had to tell authorities about any travel plans. He also could not contact Daniels.
On February 4, 2022, Avenatti was found guilty of taking money from Daniels. He was ordered to go to prison by February 7. In May 2022, Avenatti's lawyers sent an apology letter to Daniels. It said he was "truly sorry" and had failed her.
On June 2, 2022, Avenatti was sentenced to four years in prison. Two and a half years of this sentence were added to the prison time he was already serving.
Lawyer License Proceedings
On June 5, 2019, the State Bar of California asked for Avenatti to be temporarily stopped from practicing law. The State Bar Court decides if a lawyer has done something wrong. They can even take away a lawyer's license. The State Bar said there was strong evidence that Avenatti had harmed his clients. They believed he would likely lose his license to practice law.
Avenatti has been stopped from practicing law since May 4, 2020. In California, if a lawyer is found guilty of a serious crime, they usually lose their license.
January 2020 Arrest
Avenatti was arrested again on January 14, 2020. This happened during a break in a court hearing about his lawyer's license. He was arrested for breaking the rules of his earlier release. He was expected to appear in federal court in Santa Ana, California, the next day.
A federal judge in California ordered him to be jailed until his trial. Prosecutors said Avenatti broke his release rules by committing more money crimes. They said he tried to hide his money from people he owed.
Personal Life
Avenatti was married to Christine Carlin for 13 years. They have two daughters together.
He married Lisa Storie in 2011. They have one son. Lisa Storie-Avenatti filed for divorce in December 2017. In November 2018, they made a temporary agreement. Avenatti had to give her some things and pay her money each month. In December 2018, reports said Avenatti agreed to pay Lisa a large amount of money. He also agreed to give her luxury watches, art, and a leased Ferrari car. His law firm would also give her its share of a private jet. Avenatti said these reports were "bogus." The jet was later taken by federal agents in April 2019. This happened because of the charges against him for tax and money fraud.
Images for kids
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Michael Avenatti in 2018
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A HondaJet partly owned by Avenatti
