In trial closing, prosecutor says lies caught up to Avenatti
A prosecutor told jurors Wednesday in a trial’s closing arguments that California lawyer Michael Avenatti told repeated lies to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2018 to hide his theft of her book proceeds. Avenatti, representing himself, said he never committed a crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman instructed the Manhattan federal jury to follow a trail of text messages, bank statements and lies by Avenatti to reach its verdict on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
“They traveled and appeared on television together. He was supposed to be her advocate. But the defendant betrayed her trust. He stole from her and lied to her over and over and over again,” Sobelman said.