California judge declares mistrial in lawyer Michael Avenatti's embezzlement case, where he was accused of stealing nearly $10,000,000 in settlement funds from his clients.
Attorneys for Avenatti did not immediately comment. Avenatti celebrated the news outside the conference room.
"This has been an incredibly difficult journey for my family, for my children, for my friends and lastly, for me. I am extremely thankful to Mr. Steward, Ms. Cummings Cefali and our entire team for standing by me and advocating tirelessly on my behalf," he"Today is a great day for the rule of law in the United States of America," he said.
In addition to those allegations, Avenatti still faces charges of bankruptcy, bank and tax fraud in California. He is expected to be tried on those counts later this year after Selna split a 36-count indictment into two trials. He is also accused in New York of defrauding Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress who said she had an extramarital affair with Donald Trump in 2006. An indictment in that case alleges that Daniels was supposed to get two payments of $148,750 but that Avenatti instead had the money sent to funds he controlled. Prosecutors accused him of spending the money lavishly, including making monthly payments on a Ferrari.