Michael Avenatti’s bid to be sentenced remotely denied; Stormy Daniels quips, ‘See ya there, b—-!’

A New York judge denied Michael Avenatti’s second request to be sentenced remotely on Wednesday after the former attorney was convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft earlier this year for cheating adult actress Stormy Daniels out of $300,000.

“In the Court’s view, the gravity and significance of the sentencing proceeding would be ill served by a remote proceeding,” District Judge Jesse Furman wrote, according to a filing obtained by Law.com. “His desire to avoid being transported is not a valid reason to forego a public, in-person proceeding.”

Avenatti is set to be sentenced on June 2 for the fraud conviction in New York. The count of aggravated identity fraud has a mandatory two-year prison sentence, while wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

A retrial in California federal court will begin in July on charges that he stole nearly $10 million from five of his clients. A Judge declared a mistrial in that California case last August, ruling that prosecutors failed to turn over relevant financial evidence.

Former attorney Michael Avenatti, representing himself, cross-examines witness Stormy Daniels during his criminal trial at the United States Courthouse in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., January 27, 2022, in this courtroom sketch.
(REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

Avenatti was also previously convicted in February 2020 of…