Michael Avenatti, the former attorney to porn star Stormy Daniels, has been moved out of solitary confinement, according to his lawyer.
Attorney Tom Warren said on Tuesday Avenatti was transferred from the special housing unit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center to the general housing population. The move was made Thursday of last week.
Avenatti was in court Tuesday for a scheduling conference related to the Daniels case. He is charged with stealing $300,000 from Daniels, whom he represented in her case against President Trump. Daniels alleged the lawyer stole the money she received from a book advance. Avenatti, who entered the courtroom with his ankles and hands shackled, has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is set for April 21.
He was convicted earlier this month of attempting to extort more than $25 million from Nike, and he faces other charges of bank fraud in California.
Before his conviction, a judge in California ordered him to be imprisoned after finding that he violated the terms of his bail. Avenatti was then transferred to the Manhattan prison and put in solitary confinement, which the government said was for his own protection.
His legal team expressed concerns about Avenatti’s placement in solitary confinement in January, saying it had taken a toll on his health.
“The temperature in his cell feels like it is in the mid-40s. He is forced to sleep with three blankets. Not surprisingly, he had been having great difficultly functioning. He has not been permitted to shave,” his lawyer, Scott Srebnick, said.
