Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti is found guilty in Nike extortion case

[rooster59]

Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti is found guilty in Nike extortion case

By Jonathan Stempel

 

FILE PHOTO: Attorney Michael Avenatti exits the United States Courthouse in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S., October 8, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. jury on Friday found Michael Avenatti guilty in a criminal trial accusing the celebrity lawyer of trying to extort Nike Inc out of millions of dollars and defraud a youth basketball coach he represented.

 

Jurors in Manhattan federal court needed 2-1/2 days to decide the fate of Avenatti, a brash lawyer all but unknown until two years ago when he began representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against U.S. President Donald Trump and making hundreds of television appearances.

 

Avenatti, 48, who positioned his chair so he could face the jurors during his 2-1/2-week trial, stared at them as the verdict was read. He could get more than 40 years in prison at his scheduled June 17 sentencing.

 

"Of course there will be an appeal, yes," Avenatti's lawyer Scott Srebnick told reporters after the verdict.

 

Avenatti also faces scheduled criminal trials this spring in Manhattan on charges he defrauded Daniels out of proceeds from a book contract, and in California on charges he defrauded several other clients and lied to the Internal Revenue Service.

 

He has been jailed in Manhattan since Jan. 17 after California prosecutors said he violated his bail conditions.

 

Avenatti shook hands with and got a pat on the back from members of his legal team following Friday's verdict, before a court officer led him away.

 

The defendant was convicted of trying to shake down Nike by threatening to hold a press conference to discuss allegations the sports apparel company made illegal payments to families of college basketball recruits.

 

Prosecutors said Avenatti told Nike he could wipe billions of dollars off its market value, but would keep quiet if it paid him and another lawyer up to $25 million to conduct an internal probe, and paid the coach Gary Franklin $1.5 million.

 

Avenatti was also convicted of defrauding Franklin by not telling him he was demanding a probe before agreeing to settle.

 

Prosecutors said Avenatti wanted a big payday to cover at least $11 million of his own debts.

 

Avenatti's trial included multiple recordings of his negotiations with Nike's lawyers. Franklin testified for prosecutors that he did not want a probe or press conference.

 

"The jury clearly saw the defendant's scheme for what it was - an old fashioned shakedown," U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement.

 

Nike has denied wrongdoing.

 

Lawyers for Avenatti argued their client had acted in good faith and did exactly what Franklin wanted.

 

Avenatti did not testify, after his trial judge said prosecutors could question him about his dealings with other clients, without mentioning the criminal charges.

 

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Additional reporting by Brendan Pierson; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Editing by Franklin Paul and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-15

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[Bluespunk]

The message from all this being ‘don’t **** with nike’

[keith101]

Going after Trump put a huge target on his back forever .

[atyclb]

he was cnn's hero superstar

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

Going after Trump put a huge target on his back forever .

 

 

are you saying the trump administration set him up for extorting nike and defrauding a client ??

[Paul Henry]

No worries here can''t see Barr and Trump cooking up a reduced sentence or pardon. 7-9 years was to long for Stones crimes yet Avanetti could face up to 40 years. Good old American justice.Watch out Stormy POTUS is squaring off with all his hate list before November when the boot could be on the other foot.

[248900_1469958220]

15 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

are you saying the trump administration set him up for extorting nike and defrauding a client ??

Trump MADE him do it!! There is no end to the evil of Trump....I just thank god we have highly competent Democrat PARTY contenders such as Warren, Biden, Sanders to......BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! 

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Trump MADE him do it!! There is no end to the evil of Trump....I just thank god we have highly competent Democrat PARTY contenders such as Warren, Biden, Sanders to......BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! 

Bloomberg

Klobuchar

Buttigieg

[Susco]

2 hours ago, keith101 said:

Going after Trump put a huge target on his back forever .

 

No need for a target on his back.

 

From only the details in the OP, probably there is much more than that, Avenatti is obviously a criminal.

[Eric Loh]

42 minutes ago, atyclb said:

he was cnn's hero superstar

Correct “was”. CNN has the decency to call him out for fraud. Fox will defend their indefensible. 

[blazes]

This is the guy that CNBC and CNN were touting for a presidential primary run back in Sept 2018!!!!

 

That tells us much more about the vacuous potheads spouting drivel on those channels than about the "good faith" lawyer...

 

"Lawyers for Avenatti argued their client had acted in good faith...."

 

 

[TopDeadSenter]

9 minutes ago, blazes said:

This is the guy that CNBC and CNN were touting for a presidential primary run back in Sept 2018!!!!

 

That tells us much more about the vacuous potheads spouting drivel on those channels than about the "good faith" lawyer...

 

"Lawyers for Avenatti argued their client had acted in good faith...."

 

 

Yes Brian Stelter from CNN's Reliable Sources said he was a "serious contender" for 2020. Seems he was close to many of the MSM personalities. Shame to see his rising star crash so dramatically along with the reputation of those that championed such an obvious fraud.

 

"Last year a Media Research Center study revealed that Avenatti appeared on CNN a whopping 74 times over a 10-week period. At the height of Avenatti’s fame, he spent his rare time away from CNN’s greenroom partying with the network’s anchors while regularly appearing on late-night shows, MSNBC and “The View.”"

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/cnn-brian-stelter-tweet-michael-avenatti

[Emdog]

I suppose he should rule out a pardon from Trump... maybe slip in the pile and hope Trump doesn't read it? Maybe change last name to Flynn?

[Rimmer]

A troll post and a reply removed

[Puchaiyank]

He is just one lawyer that has been caught doing what many lawyers do best...deceive the public by any means to obtain monetary gain...greedy and corruption runs unabated in attorney circles...

[Iron Tongue]

19 hours ago, keith101 said:

Going after Trump put a huge target on his back forever .

Sure, that's why he stole the USD4,000,000 settlement given to parapalegic client Geoffrey E. Johnson, and spent it on a private plane, racing team and coffee franchise in 2013.  Mr. Johnson lost his home, couldn't pay for assisted care and was denied Social Security benefits as a direct result.

 

Avenatti hasn't paid personal income taxes nor for his 2 law firms since 2010, stole from his other clients, partners and employees, etc. and etc.  All legal suits begun before 2016.

 

The Trump org. really must have foresight!  -Or perhaps Avenatti is just a true dirtbag that the media never bothered to properly vette before elevating him to national hero status?

 

 

 

[WalkingOrders]

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Can't wait for the sentencing!

[neeray]

I recall talk of this huckster being a contender for the presidency. Had he prevailed, he may have made Trump look clean (yes, a very tall order).

Successive hucksters would have turned America into a banana republic for sure.

Avenatti dug his own grave!

[blazes]

32 minutes ago, neeray said:

I recall talk of this huckster being a contender for the presidency. Had he prevailed, he may have made Trump look clean (yes, a very tall order).

Successive hucksters would have turned America into a banana republic for sure.

Avenatti dug his own grave!

 

This particular huckster reminds me of Bernie Madoff.  Which also should remind us that hucksterism is an essential component of American life.

[BobBKK]

Thank goodness serious news channels like CNN never took him seriously... oh wait...

[WalkingOrders]

2 hours ago, blazes said:

 

This particular huckster reminds me of Bernie Madoff.  Which also should remind us that hucksterism is an essential component of American life.

Essential? To who?

[blazes]

1 hour ago, WalkingOrders said:

Essential? To who?

To whom?  to whomsoever wishes to attain a deeper knowledge of American history.  In our period of history hucksterism has changed its name: it's now morphed into "fake news".  But essentially the same thing.

 

Sorry I couldn't help you further....

[Benmart]

On 2/15/2020 at 12:11 PM, keith101 said:

Going after Trump put a huge target on his back forever .

Nonsense, unless you have documented, researchable proof. It appears this man engaged in a criminal act and was tried by a lawful court, and not the court of opinion.

[Benmart]

8 hours ago, blazes said:

 

This particular huckster reminds me of Bernie Madoff.  Which also should remind us that hucksterism is an essential component of American life.

I am an American by birth and hucksterism is not an essential component of my life. I require no reminder of the components of the life of any person, from any country. 

[Sujo]

8 hours ago, BobBKK said:

Thank goodness serious news channels like CNN never took him seriously... oh wait...

Yeah, fox news would never bother reporting it. Oh wait.

 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stormy-daniels-attorney-michael-avenatti-im-exploring-a-run-for-the-presidency-of-the-united-states

 

If someone prominent announces a run at it then its their duty to report on it. Or do you think only people you like should be reported on.

[Chiphigh]

The lefts hero was always a scumbag, they'll support any creature to get power 

[Sujo]

4 minutes ago, Chiphigh said:

The lefts hero was always a scumbag, they'll support any creature to get power 

Who told you he was a lefts hero? Was it a voice in your head?

 

He was in the spotlight because of trump paying off a porn star. Then announced he was going to run for pres.

 

Seems he is just as qualified as trump to do so.

[metisdead]

Another troll post has been removed. 

[WalkingOrders]

7 hours ago, blazes said:

To whom?  to whomsoever wishes to attain a deeper knowledge of American history.  In our period of history hucksterism has changed its name: it's now morphed into "fake news".  But essentially the same thing.

 

Sorry I couldn't help you further....

I think someone in post #24 captures the essence of the word essential perfectly without even having to dive into US history. 

[jadee]

Glad to see justice served, but I used to really enjoy watching this guy on CNN! He was so insanely confident and self-assured that it was like he was actor playing himself in a movie. I remember one point where he was tipped for a 2020 presidential run - boy, how times have changed.