Former Stormy Daniels lawyer Michael Avenatti, 48, was arrested abruptly in southern California by federal agents on Tuesday night during a disciplinary hearing involving the California State Bar.
While on break during the hearing, the agents placed him under arrest on the grounds of violating the terms of his pretrial release, according to ABC News. However, they are unable to specifically list how because the documents are “under seal.”
The California State Bar is currently asking a judge to prohibit the lawyer from further practice because it believes he poses a “threat of substantial harm to the public” if he continues legal practice. Avenatti is being accused by the agency of scamming $840,000 from a legal client with a forged document, pocketing the funds for his personal use.
Avenatti’s attorney in the California State Bar case, Steven Bledsoe, who was also reportedly present during the arrest, acknowledged the arrest to the Daily Beast in a brief statement: “I understand that Mr. Avenatti has been arrested by the federal authorities for violating the terms of his release,” said Bledsoe.
This arrest is not the first of Avenatti’s run-ins with authorities. In New York and California, federal prosecutors have indicted Avenatti on several counts, including embezzlement, fraud, and extortion. Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to such charges, but he still faces mounting legal battles.
Avenatti is expected to be detained overnight in either the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles or the Santa Ana jail. He will appear tomorrow before a Santa Ana federal court.
