A Manhattan federal judge on Monday granted Michael Avenatti’s request to reappoint the same team of federal defenders that the embattled attorney fired while standing trial for stealing nearly $300,000 from his former client, adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Avenatti, who was convicted earlier this month of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, had asked U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman of the Southern District of New York last week to restore his representation because his incarceration made it “incredibly difficult, if not impossible,” to prepare for sentencing in May.