Attorney Michael Avenatti might have violated terms of his temporary release from jail again, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors with the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California said in a filing made Sunday that Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels, might have used his friend’s computer to write and file five different documents, according to CNN.
The computer belongs to Avenatti’s friend Jay Manheimer, CNN reported. Avenatti was released from prison into Manheimer’s home for 90 days home confinement to protect him from potential coronavirus dangers in prison. (RELATED: Michael Avenatti Released From Jail Over Coronavirus)
Adult film actress/director Stormy Daniels (L) and attorney Michael Avenatti attend the 2019 Adult Video News Awards at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 26, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Part of the terms of Avenatti’s release forbade him from using computers or devices connected to the internet, according to CNN. Avenatti may be sent back to jail if he is found to be in violation of the terms of his release.
Metadata associated with the court filings indicates that Manheimer was the “author” of the documents. Avenatti had told a judge recently that he needed to use a computer to prepare for trial, prosecutors said, according to CNN.
“The government believes that defendant has likely violated the conditions of his temporary release by using his third-party custodian Jay Manheimer’s internet-accessible computer to draft his last five filings in this case,” prosecutors wrote in the filing. “At a minimum, defendant and his counsel have not been candid with this Court.”
They added: “The government therefore requests that the Court hold a hearing to further inquire as to whether defendant has violated the conditions of his temporary release and provide the parties with an opportunity to address the appropriate remedy, if any, if defendant did in fact commit such violations.”
Avenatti was also arrested in January while attending a California state bar disciplinary hearing for a separate legal matter following allegations that he violated terms set for his pre-trial release.
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