Michael Avenatti tricked paraplegic client into signing reference: report

Michael Avenatti duped a mentally ill, paraplegic client into signing a glowing testimonial, then posted it on Twitter following his indictment for allegedly scamming the man out of a $4 million settlement, according to a report Tuesday.

A lawyer for ex-Avenatti client Geoffrey Johnson said Avenatti rushed over to Johnson’s house in a panic last month, immediately following a hearing at which he was grilled about the settlement by a former law partner.

“Mr. Avenatti drove straight to Mr. Johnson’s house, falsely told him that the settlement funds had finally come in, and shortly afterwards asked him to sign a ‘client testimonial’ extolling Mr. Avenatti’s effectiveness and ethics,” lawyer Joshua Robbins told the Daily Mail.

“It was only later that Mr. Johnson learned Mr. Avenatti had been lying to him and hiding the money for years.”

Last week, in response to his indictment on 36 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud and other charges, Avenatti tweeted an image of a signed statement in which Johnson called him an “exceptional, honest and ethical attorney” who “has always fiercely advocated on my behalf, looked after my needs, communicated with me about all aspects of my case, and made sure I was taken care of.”

Avenatti — who shot to fame last year while representing porn star Stormy Daniels — also tweeted that he had “MANY more like this.”

Avenatti told the Daily Mail that Robbins was “trying to get his name out there by fabricating a bogus story.”

“He clearly does not know the details of the case or those of the client, who he has evidently represented for less than a month,” he said.

“He also doesn’t understand what documents exist that completely undercut his story. I look forward to the truth and facts surrounding my representation of Mr. Johnson being presented at trial.”

Johnson, 53, is one of five clients who federal prosecutors in Los Angeles say Avenatti ripped off in a long-running scheme to finance a lavish lifestyle that included a $12 million home in Laguna Beach and a $5 million private jet.

In January 2015, Avenatti scored a $4 million settlement for Johnson from LA County, but the feds say he never told Johnson that he got the money and instead spent most of it on “personal expenses” and to operate a car-racing team and coffee-shop business.

The settlement stemmed from a suit that said Johnson suffered permanent injuries when he tried to commit suicide in jail “by jumping from an elevated floor” and landing on his head.

That incident came after he was locked up by LAPD cops who found him naked and praying in the middle of a street in April 2011, according to court papers.

In addition to allegedly defrauding Johnson and the other clients, Avenatti is accused of scamming bank loans, evading taxes and lying during bankruptcy proceedings to prop up what the feds called “his financial house of cards.”

The charges in his indictment are separate from those filed against him in Manhattan, where he was arrested last month on allegations he tried to extort more than $20 million from Nike.

Avenatti, who’s free on $300,000 bond, maintains his innocence and has suggested he was unfairly targeted after making “many powerful enemies” while representing “Davids vs. Goliaths.”

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