Michael Avenatti convicted of cheating Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000

The high-profile lawyer had denied wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in relation to his former client

Michael Avenatti was convicted on Friday of charges he cheated the adult film actor Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000 she was supposed to get for writing a book about an alleged tryst with former president Donald Trump.

Avenatti stared straight ahead as the verdict was read. It was another defeat for the California lawyer, who has faced a host of legal problems after briefly rising to fame as one of Trump's leading antagonists on cable news early in the Republican's administration.