Disgraced lawyer/carnival barker Michael Avenatti pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges he stole nearly $300,000 from aging porn star Stormy Daniels, bilking her by using her forged signature to divert two advance payments for her memoir.
Avenatti, 48, appeared in Manhattan federal court for the first of three scheduled afternoon proceedings involving the Daniels case and another in which he’s accused of trying to shake down Nike for more than $20 million.
At his first court appearance Tuesday, Avenatti, who remains free on a $300,000 personal recognizance bond, was ordered by U.S. District Judge James Cott to have no contact with Daniels, whom he represented last year in connection with her various legal battles against President Donald Trump.
Avenatti additionally had his travel restricted by Cott, who told the attorney to stay within the Central District of California, which includes the lawyer’s residence in Los Angeles, in New York City, or in the Big Apple’s surrounding counties in lower New York state.
If he wants to travel elsewhere within the United States, Avenatti first must notify federal authorities.
His not guilty plea was entered on his behalf by his lawyer, Sylvie Levine, while Avenatti looked on.
Avenatti has denied wrongdoing in all of the cases.
In a statement after he was charged in the Daniels case, Avenatti denied bilking her, saying: “No monies relating to Ms. Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled.”
6 Responses
As a Dinosaur of the golden age of porn I enjoy your posts for the most part to keep up with the current industry but I find the snarky way you always preface Stormy Daniels name with “aging porn star” neither funny or useful. EVERYONE in the business is aging. That kind of childish dig is totally unnecessary and demeaning to you more than her.
Carter Stevens AVN Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award winner. (at 74, no longer aging but in fact damn old)
Mr. Stevens, I’m honored that you read my posts, let alone that you took the time to comment.
It’s true we are snarky vis-a-vis Ms. Daniels, but in our defense, she has made a lot of enemies and burned a lot of bridges. I will take your thoughts into consideration in the future and consider a more direct approach to our differences with her (and those of the many many people she has burned).
Cordially,
SL
LOL Hell, if she is a bitch, by all means call her a bitch. but “aging porn actress” denigrates every actress working in the MILF category. (not to mention the GMILFs out there.)
My god Carter Stevens
incredible you should be a writer. There would be seasoned experience and insight to this blog .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Stevens
Stormy is a moron of the dumbest caliber. I don’t know her personally to claim she is a bitch but her war against future Dictator in Chief Donald Trump (who will soon have the power to have her tortured to death slowly and painfully) shows her brain power is minimal at best. You don’t antagonize someone of that power to the point where he sues yours and your attorney’s asses into the poorhouse. Trump is obviously going to use his control over the military to become Dictator in Chief and at that point Stormy (and her now disgraced attorney) are going to be the first people he has arrested, brought to the White House basement and tortured in front of him. It is too late now, if she is smart she will off herself the minute Donald Trump becomes dictator, if not she will be tortured to death by military officials (I don’t want Stormy to kill herself but that will be her only route to preventing her painful and torturous death by the hands of military officials). Trump has found a way through the criminal justice system to get Avenatti (who will also off himself before his trial if he wants to not be tortured in the same manner) but Stormy hasn’t been arrested for any substantial charges as of yet and the one recent arrest she has had was likely organized by a Trump lover without the assent or request of our future Dictator in Chief.