Infamous attorney Michael Avenatti has apologised to his former client Stormy Daniels for defrauding thousands from her, as he faces yet another prison term, New York Post reported.
"It is obvious that I failed you in many respects and that I disappointed you and let you down in multiple ways... I wish that we could turn back the clock so that the mistakes I made would never be repeated. I am truly sorry", he says in the letter, dated 13 May, and submitted by his attorneys in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday.
Avenatti's legal team asked the court not to sentence him to a long term, saying that the convictions have already destroyed his life.
"This sobering reality is as sufficient and powerful a punishment and deterrence as any. Worse, Mr. Avenatti's extreme rise and fall played out on the most public of platforms, an experience he is unlikely to ever recover from reputationally," they said.
Prosecutors will file their own recommendations this month, ahead of the sentencing, which is scheduled for 2 June.
Adult film actress Stormy Daniels speaks to members of the media after a hearing at federal court, Monday, April 16, 2018, in New York, as she is accompanied by her attorney Michael Avenatti.
© AP Photo / Craig Ruttle
Avenatti was convicted in February of stealing $300,000 of an $800,000 book advance for Daniels' memoire book "Full Disclosure", published in 2018. According to the court, he was "blatantly lying" to Daniels and stealing from her to "maintain his extravagant lifestyle".
The disgraced attorney previously received a 30-month sentence for an attempt to extort $25 million from Nike. At the time, the lawyer was representing youth basketball coach Gary Franklin, who sued Nike for ending the sponsorship of his league.
However, Avenatti hijacked the client's claims, as he wanted to weaponise the fame he received after lawsuits against president Trump. The lawyer threatened to make embarrassing statements about the corporation on social media if they refused to pay him.