Michael John Avenatti (born February 16, 1971) is an American former attorney and convicted felon, best known for his representation of adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her lawsuits against then U.S. president Donald Trump, and for his attempted extortion of sports apparel company Nike that led to his conviction of several felonies. His firm had represented celebrity defendants and has filed suits against Fortune 500 companies. Avenatti has appeared extensively on television and in print as a legal and political commentator, and as a representative for prominent clients.Before Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed, Avenatti introduced a written declaration in September 2018 accusing Kavanaugh of spiking drinks at parties for the purpose of allowing girls to be gang-raped when he was in high school. The accuser, Julie Swetnick, later repudiated the declaration in an interview with NBC News, claiming Avenatti had misrepresented her allegations. Chuck Grassley referred Avenatti and Swetnick to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation.On several occasions, beginning in March 2019, Avenatti was indicted in California and New York on federal counts including tax evasion, extortion, fraud, and embezzlement. He has been ineligible to practice law in California since May 4, 2020. On February 14, 2020, Avenatti was convicted of all charges against him in the New York court. Avenatti was held in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center while he awaited sentencing for his extortion conviction in the New York case. He faced potentially more than 40 years in prison. Amid healthcare concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, Avenatti was temporarily released from prison in April 2020 under orders to return within 90 days, and placed under house arrest at a friend's house in California. On July 8, 2021, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.The second of four federal criminal trials involving Avenatti began on July 21, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. During this proceeding, Avenatti announced that he would be defending himself. He was found guilty of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.On June 2, 2022, he was sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding Daniels.