Disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti has had his prison sentence for financial fraud reduced from an initial 14 years to just under eight following a resentencing hearing on Thursday in Los Angeles.  

Avenatti, a former high-profile attorney who rose to fame representing porn actor Stormy Daniels against President Donald Trump, was originally sentenced after pleading guilty to bilking his California clients out of millions of dollars and hiding millions more from the IRS. 

He had the sentence vacated in October by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which determined that it was based on calculations of a greater loss to his victims than was actually suffered — and thus was too lengthy. 

U.S. District Judge James Selna on Thursday resentenced Avenatti to 135 months, minus 40 months already served for a separate Stormy Daniels case, for a new total of 95 months.

Michael Avenatti had his sentence reduced on Thursday. (AP)

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of only a few months less than the 14 years originally handed down.

Ahead of his resentencing, Avenatti appealed for a more lenient sentence by providing details of his alleged personal transformation while behind bars in a 41-page memorandum filed last month.

The memorandum detailed his life at the Terminal Island prison in Los Angeles, describing how he is trusted by prison officials to help other inmates – including serving as “suicide watch companion.” 

He also completed a drug abuse program and “regularly attended AA meetings and religious services.” Avenatti also volunteered in the prison library, assisting academically challenged inmates with legal matters, per the memorandum.

Michael Avenatti speaks to the press outside federal court after Michael Cohen’s sentencing hearing, December 12, 2018 in New York City.

“Since his 2022 original sentencing, [Avenatti] has lived every day of his incarceration seeking to atone for the harm he caused and set his life on a different path,” the filing reads. 

Daniels’ case with Avenatti centered on a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) tied to an alleged affair between her and Trump, and the legality of a $130,000 hush money payment made shortly before the 2016 election.

Fox News’ Lee Ross and The Associated Press contributed to this report.