Federal prosecutors say they expect to drop additional charges against incarcerated lawyer Michael Avenatti after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of wire fraud.
In a court filing Tuesday, the U.S. attorney's office says it expects to move to dismiss the remaining charges of a 36-count indictment once Avenatti is sentenced. He pleaded guilty last week to four wire fraud counts and a tax charge and is scheduled for sentencing Sept. 19. Authorities say Avenatti cheated clients by negotiating and collecting settlement payments on their behalf and funneling the money to accounts he controlled.
Avenatti is currently serving five years in prison for convictions in two cases in New York, the Associated Press reported. He was convicted of stealing book proceeds from Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who catapulted Avenatti to fame as he represented her during her legal battles with then-President Donald Trump. He also was convicted of trying to extort Nike if the shoemaker didn’t pay him up to $25 million.
