Michael Avenatti Arrested For Allegedly Violating Pretrial Release Conditions

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 2022782 Views

Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti speaks to the media outside of a New York court house after a hearing in a case where he is accused of stealing $300,000 from a former client, adult-film actress Stormy Daniels on July 23, 2019 in New York City. A grand jury has indicted Avenatti for the Daniels-related case and a second case in which prosecutors say he attempted to extort more than $20 million from sportswear giant Nike.

Avenatti is locked up and they won't let him out. *Akon voice*

Michael Avenatti might be championed for his fight against Trump and R. Kelly but he has his own legal issues that he's dealing with. In the midst of being heralded for his legal work, he was arrested on embezzlement charges but was later out of jail on pretrial release conditions. According to NBC, he's now locked up again because he violated those conditions.

Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

The IRS reportedly arrested Avenatti, a federal prosecutor confirmed. The details of his arrest haven't been revealed and court documents are currently sealed. Avenatti will appear in court today in Santa Ana.

"It's my understanding it has something to do with a bail violation, but I don't have the warrant," H. Dean Steward, Avenatti's lawyer, said about the arrest. "Exactly what the details are I don't know. But I'm almost positive it has something to do with finances," Steward added. He revealed Avenatti owes millions of dollars from civil judgments. Steward revealed that there's a good chance Avenatti will remain in police custody until he appears in court today.

Avenatti is charged with wire fired, attempting to obstruct the IRS, identity theft, bank fraud, and making a false testimony under oath in California after he was accused of embezzlement by a paraplegic man once represented by the lawyer who said Avenatti took $4M from him.

We'll keep you updated on the case.

About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.