Justice Department drops 31 fraud charges against Michael Avenatti

The Department of Justice will not charge Michael Avenatti, former lawyer for pornographic actress Stormy Daniels, with 31 additional fraud counts after he pleaded guilty last week to five fraud-related charges.

Federal prosecutors for the Central District of California said Tuesday in a filing obtained by CNN they will not pursue the remaining 31 charges of bank fraud, wire fraud, and tax-related crimes.

The disgraced anti-Trump attorney was sentenced in June to four years in prison for defrauding Daniels.

Avenatti was already serving two and a half years in prison for extorting Nike. 

He faces an additional 83 years behind bars for the fraud charges to which he pleaded guilty on Thursday. He will be sentenced in mid-September.

"Such a sentence would obviate the need for a trial on the remaining counts. Accordingly, the government expects to move to dismiss the remaining counts of the Indictment after sentence is imposed," the prosecutors wrote in Tuesday's filing dismissing the additional charges.