A DISGRACED US celebrity lawyer has been found guilty of stealing US$300,000 (RM1.2 million) from porn star Stormy Daniels, who is due the money for writing a book about her alleged tryst with Donald Trump.

Michael Avenatti, who represented Daniels in her suit against the former president, has been convicted of aggravated identity theft and wire fraud after a trial in a Federal Court in Manhattan, New York.

It was the latest criminal conviction for the former California attorney, who was found guilty of trying to extort millions of dollars from sports apparel giant Nike in February 2020.

His current predicament is a far cry from the dizzying heights of February 2018 to March 2019, when he was the lawyer for Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

He became a household name during her legal battles with Trump over hush money she received for an alleged affair with the then-real estate developer in 2006.

Revelling in his role as an outspoken critic of the president and darling of America’s left, the 50-year-old frequently appeared on camera and social media, raising suspicions that he harboured a run for the White House.

However, 12 New York jurors agreed with prosecutors that while representing Daniels, Avenatti was also defrauding her.

He tricked literary agents into sending US$300,000 of an US$800,000 advance she received for a book called Full Disclosure into a bank account that he controlled, without her knowledge.

Avenatti spent the money on personal and professional expenses, including plane tickets, restaurant meals and the lease of a Ferrari, said prosecutors.

He later paid back about half the money, or US$150,000.

Avenatti, representing himself during the trial, unsuccessfully argued that he is owed the payments.

Aggravated identity theft and wire fraud carry a total maximum prison sentence of 22 years, although he is likely to serve much less.

The lawyer was sentenced to two and a half years in jail for the attempted extortion of Nike last summer and faces a re-trial in a fraud case in California. – AFP, February 5, 2022.