On Tuesday evening, federal agents arrested Trump critic and former lawyer of Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, at the State Bar Court in Los Angeles.
Avenatti was present at the State Bar of California for a disciplinary hearing. The lawyer faces allegations by the State Bar of California for using manipulated documents to dupe a client out of almost $840,000. He had allegedly diverted money from a lawsuit settlement account to finance his personal expenses. The arrest did not happen during the disciplinary hearing.
Agents from the Central District of California US Attorney’s Office discussed with Avenatti’s team of lawyers before the arrest. The agents from the Central District of California US Michael Attorney’s Office are presently prosecuting Avenatti for a different criminal case in Orange County.
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Events After The Arrest of Michael Avenatti
At around 6 p.m. PST, federal agents took Avenatti into their custody. When the court was back in session, Thomas Warren, Avenatti’s lead counsel in the disciplinary case, informed the court about Avenatti’s absence. He added that Michael Avenatti could not return to court due to his connection to a criminal matter in Santa Ana.
According to Thom Mrozek, spokesperson for the US Attorney’s office in Los Angeles, Avenatti’s arrest is on the basis of violation of terms of his pre-trial release. Mrozek did not divulge any further information regarding the case.
While being carried out of the courthouse, Michael Avenatti simply stated that he was “Completely innocent.”
Michael Avenatti is currently having many pending criminal matters in Los Angeles and New York. Know popularly for his public confrontation with President Trump, Avenatti presently faces many federal charges. The charges involve cases of alleged extortion and theft of millions of dollars from clients. Avenatti also faces charges for tax fraud and misguiding investigators.
