Disgraced celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti appeared before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Thursday, seeking to reduce his 14-year prison sentence. Avenatti’s federal public defender argued that the trial court had improperly applied an obstruction-of-justice enhancement when calculating the sentence. The defender maintained that the lower court, under Judge James V. Selna, did not provide an express finding that Avenatti had obstructed the government’s investigation into his conduct.
Avenatti, who gained notoriety representing porn star Stormy Daniels and through his public confrontations with former President Donald Trump, had pleaded guilty to embezzling settlement money from his clients. His current appeal questions both the fairness and correctness of the trial court’s sentencing methodology.
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