I’m young enough to remember when CNN and MSNBC hosts, along with fellow guests, were fawning over Michael Avenatti. They were swooning like a bunch of fan girls at an Elvis concert. I remember it vividly because (and this is a bit of a conceit) I can generally recognize slime-ball lawyers when I see and hear them talk. Avenatti excreted goo. He was clearly good at the game and knew how to talk a good con, but I could see that he was a fraud, a conman, a goon in a $1,000 suit. I’ve seen plenty in 30 years of practice.

On Monday, Senior US District Judge James Selma sentenced the future US president to an additional 168 months on top of his previous convictions in New York which carry 60 months.

Judge Selna sentences Avenatti to prison "for a term of 168 months."

That's for the four wire fraud counts, and it includes 36 months for the IRS obstruction charge. This is pretty close to what @USAO_LosAngeles prosecutors wanted.

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) December 5, 2022

Avenatti was the belle of the ball four years ago. CNN’s Brian Stelter went gaga over his smarminess and hairless pate. Lady Gaga and the rest of the celebrity class all were in love with this clearly contemptible man. His sentences are consecutive, so the 51-year-old Avenatti will be a faded 70-year-old man by the time he serves 19 years in federal lockup.

Two New York Southern District juries had previously convicted Avenatti of attempted extortion (Nike) and defrauding Stormy Daniels. Avenatti first came to public attention when he represented Stormy Daniels, a pornographic “film” star who was suing President Donald Trump. The leftist media became Avenatti’s forum, with Avenatti appearing so often on CNN and MSNBC that he might have had an office at each station. He was the darling of the left and was invited to lavish parties as the toast of New York and the DNC.

He was touted as presidential material. In one way, he was. He’s a slimy fraudster and a contemptible lawyer with a big mouth. It seemed a perfect match until his schemes crashed in on him.

Before he was trying to hold up Nike or steal money from his porn star client, he was defrauding clients on the West Coast. Avenatti was suspected of stealing from his clients long before he was CNN’s go-to voice to bag on Donald Trump. To get the full breadth of what a contemptible man he is, you have to read the Bar Complaint. It’s a nice summary of Avenatti as a Ponzi scheme crook. Those allegations could all be proved by the prosecution, so instead of multiple decades, Avenatti opted to take his chances with sentencing. To borrow a line from Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, “He chose poorly.” It is off to prison for another 14 years for the left’s sweetheart of 2018.

Although Avenatti pled to four counts of wire fraud for each client he stole from, along with one count of obstructing the administration of the Internal Revenue Code,  he was not admitting to his guilt out of the goodness of his heart or because he found Jesus. He was facing 83 years in prison if he had been tried on all counts and convicted. It was an act to get out of prison before he needed a walker and hearing aids.

Avenatti was also ordered to pay over $10 million in restitution to four clients and the IRS. None of the clients will see a dime. He’s broke. In about 19 years, when Avenatti is a free man and unable to practice law, he will be eligible for Social Security and that is likely to be his only way of making money. That, and asking the following question of “clients”:

Would like to supersize your fries?

Wouldn’t it be a terrific irony if Avenatti didn’t pay his SS taxes and has nothing to fall back on? Then, it would definitely be double shifts at Burger King.

The US Attorney said:

“Michael Avenatti was a corrupt lawyer who claimed he was fighting for the little guy. In fact, he only cared about his own selfish interests. He stole millions of dollars from his clients – all to finance his extravagant lifestyle that included a private jet and race cars. As a result of his illegal acts, he has lost his right to practice law in California, and now he will serve a richly deserved prison sentence.”

Good riddance. Enjoy your Jailhouse Rock, Mike.