Michael Avenatti, who stole from Stormy Daniels, released from prison

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in her unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, has been released from federal prison after serving four years for fraud and extortion.

Avenatti, 55, will remain under federal supervision and was sent to a halfway house in Hollywood, according to the Bureau of Prisons, which set a release date of Sept. 8, 2028. 

Avenatti was a Trump critic and fixture on CNN and other cable news outlets during Mr. Trump’s first term. He told NPR in 2018 that Mr. Trump would either resign or be removed from office. 

He enjoyed lobbing insults at the president and threatened to run against Mr. Trump if he ran for a second term. 

“Or I’m going to beat him in 2020. But one way or the other, he’s not going to serve a second term,” he said.

But even before Mr. Trump’s first term ended, Avenatti went from being a potential presidential candidate to becoming a federal prison inmate.

In 2020, he was convicted of attempting to extort Nike and defrauding a client, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison.  In 2022, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from his clients, including a paraplegic with mental health issues, and for several counts involving tax fraud.

The Justice Department said Avenatti also stole nearly $300,000 from Ms. Daniels by arranging to receive some of her book advance money without her knowledge.

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The 14-year sentence was tossed out in 2024 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which determined the judge made several sentencing errors.

Avenatti later changed his attitude about Mr. Trump, congratulating him on his November 2024 election victory from his prison cell.

“Congratulations to President Trump on his unprecedented, dominant result,” Avenatti posted on X from his prison cell the day after the election. “There’s no denying his instincts, toughness, and resiliency.”

As part of his release, Avenatti must pay nearly $6 million in restitution to his victims and the IRS.

Ms. Daniels sued the president for defamation in 2018 after he called claims that she was told to remain silent about their affair, “a total con job.”

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A judge dismissed the lawsuit, ordering her to pay his legal fees. 

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.