Jury Finds Michael Avenatti GUILTY of Both Counts After Wild Trial

Photo by Tara Ziemba/Getty Images.

A jury Friday found Michael Avenatti guilty of two counts related to Stormy Daniels’ accusations that he had defrauded her of $300,000 from the $800,000 advance fee for her book.

Daniels, an adult film star whose affair with former President Donald Trump provided the salacious details that drew that six-figure sum for the book, had been represented by Avenatti.

The trial provided numerous entertaining and eyebrow-raising moments, from Avenatti’s decision to fire his defense counsel and represent himself to his truly bonkers cross-examination of his former client that covered everything from raunchy jokes she had made about him going to prison to her interest in the paranormal.

Even the jury’s deliberations were unable to proceed uneventfully, with the panel requesting assistance from the judge at one point because one juror was “refusing to look at evidence and is acting on a feeling,” as they wrote in their note to the judge.

From the NY Daily News:

“She does not believe she needs to prove her side using evidence and refuses to show us how she has come to her conclusion.”

The note added the possible holdout was acting on “all emotions” and “does not understand the job of a jury.”

It asked the court to “please,” underlined, advise the other jurors on how to proceed.

The judge’s instructions must have been helpful, because not too long after the story broke about the one troublesome juror, it was announced that a verdict had been reached.

Avenatti was convicted of both counts against him, for wire fraud (for the actual theft of the funds) and for aggravated identity theft (for forging Daniels’ signature).

As Law & Crime’s Adam Klasfeld noted, Avenatti is now facing a sentence of up to 22 years, “although the actual term is expected to be shorter.”