Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is seen walking with her then-attorney Michael Avenatti in New York City on April 16, 2018. Daniels is set to testify Thursday in Avenatti’s federal fraud trial in Manhattan. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Jan. 27 (UPI) — Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who made headlines four years ago by saying that she’d had an affair with then-President Donald Trump, is expected to testify in a New York City courtroom on Thursday in the trial of her former attorney Michael Avenatti.
Avenatti is on trial in federal District Court in Manhattan on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
In 2018, Avenatti represented Daniels over accusations that she at one time had a sexual relationship with Trump — and had received a $130,000 “hush money” payment from one of Trump’s attorneys to keep the relationship private.
Daniels, 42, claims that Avenatti stole her identity and sent a phony letter to persuade her literary agent to send him nearly $300,000 she was supposed to receive as part of a book deal — which produced her autobiography Full Disclosure in 2018.
Earlier this week, a judge ruled that Avenatti can represent himself in the trial after Avenatti said there’d been a “breakdown” with his former lawyers. That means he will cross-examine Daniels himself when she testifies.
Avenatti, 50, said in court on Tuesday that representing himself gives him the best chance of winning the case.
Last year, Avenatti was convicted in a separate case and sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for attempting to extort more than $20 million from sportswear giant Nike. At his sentencing, Avenatti acknowledged that he’d betrayed his own values and destroyed his career and his life.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is seen walking with her then-attorney Michael Avenatti in New York City on April 16, 2018. Daniels is set to testify Thursday in Avenatti’s federal fraud trial in Manhattan. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Jan. 27 (UPI) — Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who made headlines four years ago by saying that she’d had an affair with then-President Donald Trump, is expected to testify in a New York City courtroom on Thursday in the trial of her former attorney Michael Avenatti. Avenatti is on trial in federal District Court in Manhattan on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. In 2018, Avenatti represented Daniels over accusations that she at one time had a sexual relationship with Trump — and had received a $130,000 “hush money” payment from one of Trump’s attorneys to keep the relationship private. Daniels, 42, claims that Avenatti stole her identity and sent a phony letter to persuade her literary agent to send him nearly $300,000 she was supposed to receive as part of a book deal — which produced her autobiography Full Disclosure in 2018. Earlier this week, a judge ruled that Avenatti can represent himself in the trial after Avenatti said there’d been a “breakdown” with his former lawyers. That means he will cross-examine Daniels himself when she testifies. Avenatti, 50, said in court on Tuesday that representing himself gives him the best chance of winning the case. Last year, Avenatti was convicted in a separate case and sentenced to more than 2 years in prison for attempting to extort more than $20 million from sportswear giant Nike. At his sentencing, Avenatti acknowledged that he’d betrayed his own values and destroyed his career and his life.