Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti has been transferred from federal prison to a halfway house in California, according to Bureau of Prisons records, but remains in federal custody with a projected release date of September 2028.
An official with the Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Avenatti was transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Los Angeles to community confinement overseen by the BOP Long Beach Residential Reentry Management Office. He will be under supervised release for three years following his release from federal custody.
Avenatti is best known for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her failed 2018 defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump. Once a media darling who appeared regularly on network television programs, Avenatti was later convicted in multiple fraud cases and sentenced to years in federal prison.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive commentators and some Democrats who previously aligned with Avenatti's anti-Trump messaging have largely distanced themselves from the former attorney following his criminal convictions. While Avenatti gained prominence by publicly challenging Trump and predicting his removal from office, his subsequent legal troubles have overshadowed his political commentary.
In a 2018 interview with NPR's All Things Considered, Avenatti said Trump was "either going to resign, he's going to be removed from office by impeachment" and predicted he would not serve a second term. These comments came during the height of his media visibility when he appeared on CNN 121 times and MSNBC 108 times between 2018 and 2019.
Some progressive voices have noted that Avenatti's criminal conduct, particularly his theft from clients including a paraplegic individual, undermines the credibility of those who sought to use legal channels to oppose Trump. The National Legal Aid & Defender Association and other legal ethics organizations have pointed to his disbarment as an example of the consequences for attorneys who violate ethical standards.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservatives have pointed to Avenatti's criminal history as evidence of bias among Trump critics who gained media attention during the Trump administration. Republican commentators have noted that Avenatti's 2024 statements to the New York Post marked a significant shift in his views on the Justice Department.
In that interview, Avenatti said he was "bothered that the Justice Department has been 'weaponized'" against Trump, adding: "There's no question [the trial] is politically motivated because they're concerned that he may be reelected." He told the Post that if the defendant were anyone other than Trump, the case would not have been brought.
Some conservative commentators have argued that Avenatti's reversal reflects the broader political landscape and that his earlier anti-Trump commentary was itself politically motivated. The Republican National Committee and conservative media outlets have highlighted Avenatti's fraud convictions as evidence of ethical failings among Trump critics.
What the Numbers Show
Avenatti was convicted and sentenced in 2022 to 48 months in prison for stealing close to $300,000 in proceeds from Daniels. At the time of that sentencing, he was already serving a 30-month sentence for threatening to extort $25 million from Nike.
In December 2022, Avenatti was sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing from four of his clients. One client was a paraplegic. A federal judge in June 2025 reduced his collective prison sentence to eight years, allowing credit for some sentences running concurrently. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had vacated his 14-year sentence in October 2024.
According to the probation order signed by U.S. District Judge James Selna, Avenatti must pay $5,937,725.58 in restitution to his victims and is ordered to participate in a mental health treatment program. His projected release date is September 8, 2028.
The Bottom Line
Avenatti's transfer to a halfway house marks another chapter in the fall of a once-prominent attorney who became a household name through his representation of Daniels and his frequent media appearances. His criminal convictions for fraud, including stealing from clients, resulted in a combined sentence that has now been reduced to eight years through resentencing.
The case raises questions about the intersection of high-profile legal representation, media visibility, and professional ethics. Avenatti was disbarred in California in February 2025. His projected release in 2028 will be followed by three years of supervised release, during which he must comply with the terms of his restitution payments and mental health treatment program.
Trump continues to face legal challenges, while Avenatti's case illustrates the consequences for attorneys who commit financial crimes. A lawyer for Avenatti declined to comment on his transfer to the halfway house.