Avenatti, who is in federal custody and representing himself in the case, made the plea during a court hearing in Santa Ana where he acknowledged cheating his clients but disagreed with federal prosecutors on how much.
“Michael Avenatti finally admitted what the IRS criminal investigation and the U.S. attorney’s office has been saying for several years now: that he committed audacious acts to steal money from his clients to line his own pockets,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Sagel told reporters. The plea came after Avenatti, who is suspended from practicing law in California, filed papers with the court this weekend saying that although he didn’t reach a deal with federal prosecutors he wanted to change his plea to be accountable and spare his family further embarrassment.
In the California case, a mistrial was declared last year after the judge found prosecutors failed to turn over to Avenatti key financial evidence. He was expected to stand trial on some of the counts next month, with a trial on the remainder to follow. In another instance, prosecutors said Avenatti collected a $2.75 million settlement payment for a client and used much of the money to buy a private airplane.
And this guy was running for president while the FBI and CIA were spying on President Trump. The alphabet agencies have been compromised and are our enemy now.
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