Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has secured an early release from the Manhattan Correctional Facility in New York, after previously being denied early release last month. But the decision comes with some major caveats that will likely keep Avenatti from celebrating too hard.
According to CNN, Avenatti has been allowed to leave prison for 90 days amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but the disgraced attorney will have to spend two more weeks in jail anyway, so that authorities can confirm he doesn’t have the coronavirus.
After the two weeks have passed, Avenatti will be shipped off to California to stay at a friend’s house in Venice, reports the news agency.
While Avenatti may be excited to secure some freedom, The Los Angeles Times reports that the county’s social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home order will remain in place until at least May 15, and possibly into summer, a longer quarantine period than many other countries across the nation have projected at this time.
According to ESPN, in addition to having to adhere to Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home orders, Avenatti will need to wear a monitoring device of some sort, and will be banned from using computers and the internet during his temporary release.
The decision is a sharp reversal of the court’s recent stance, during which District Judge James Senna ruled that Avenatti wasn’t a candidate for early release, reports Politico.
“There is no basis to release Avenatti on medical grounds,” said the judge, reports the news agency. “The Bureau of Prisons and MCC specifically have taken substantial steps to mitigate the effects of the pandemic. MCC has moved ‘at-risk’ prisoners, which presumably includes Avenatti, to a separate unit.”
The judge also pointed out that the attorney wasn’t merely trying to secure early release, but also full bail, and that there was “no basis to release Avenatti on medical grounds.”
In response to the court denying Avenatti’s previous request, President Trump posted a sarcastic statement to Twitter, in which he mocked the attorney who gained national prominence for attacking him on television.
“Gee, that’s too bad. Such a fine guy,” remarked Trump in response to a report about Avenatti being denied coronavirus release. “Presidential aspirations you know!”
Gee, that’s too bad. Such a fine guy. Presidential aspirations you know! https://t.co/MgOWgAzMxs
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 25, 2020
Avenatti has previously made serious flirtations with potential presidential runs, at one point even proclaiming that he was “50/50” on a decision.
While the lawyer decided against running on both occasions, in a case of unfortunate timing, he was arrested during the Democratic primary debate in January while attending his own hearing for an unrelated matter.
Avenatti is currently serving prison time for allegedly attempting to extort the athletic company Nike out of more than $20 million. As The New York Times previously reported, the turnaround for the arrest was quick: Avenatti left the attempted extortion meeting in handcuffs.
While Avenatti has already been found guilty, he has not yet been sentenced, and is facing decades in prison for his alleged crimes.