Michael Avenatti convicted of stealing from Stormy Daniels

Michael Avenatti was convicted Friday of charges he cheated the adult-film actress Stormy Daniels out of nearly $300,000 she was supposed to get for writing a book about an alleged tryst with former president Donald Trump.

Avenatti stared straight ahead as the verdict was read. It was another crushing defeat for the California lawyer, who has faced a host of legal problems after briefly rising to fame as one of Trump's leading antagonists on cable news early in the Republican's administration.

Avenatti dumped his lawyers and decided to represent himself shortly after the trial began, setting up a face-to-face showdown with Daniels, his former client, who appeared in a new role as star witness.