Avenatti Wove ‘Spider Web’ With Clients’ Money, Jury Told

Law360 (August 13, 2021, 11:23 PM EDT) — Federal prosecutors presented the crux of their wire fraud case against Michael Avenatti to a California jury Friday, with a financial expert testifying about a tangled “spider web” of transactions he said the suspended attorney undertook while moving his clients’ money around to pay debts, pay other clients and purchase an airplane.

The testimony by John Drum of Analysis Group came after weeks of testimony that included former clients who claim Avenatti spun lies about why they never received six- or seven-figure payments they were due. Through Drum, prosecutors outlined their case for where the stolen money went. 

Drum, a certified public…