According to Fox Business, dishonorable California lawyer Michael Avenatti, 50, was sentenced on Thursday by a Manhattan federal judge to two-and-a-half years in prison for extorting Nike for $25 million.
The lawyer is found guilty on charges of extorting up to $25 million from the global sportswear giant when he represented a Los Angeles youth basketball league organizer upset when Nike had ended its league sponsorship.
“Michael Avenatti used illegal and extortionate threats and betrayed one of his clients for the purpose of seeking to obtain millions of dollars for himself,” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a Thursday statement. “Not only did Avenatti attempt to weaponize his law license and celebrity to seek to extort payments for himself, but he also defrauded his own client.”
Avenatti, who rose to fame for publicly attacking Donald Trump, threatened the company with bad publicity and threatened to hold a press conference ahead of Nike’s quarterly earnings call, according to a press release from Strauss’ office obtained by Fox Business.
“The verdict and sentence speak for themselves,” Nike said in a Thursday statement.
Judge Paul Gardephe called Avenatti’s actions “outrageous” during Thursday’s trial, according to Reuters. Journalists tweeted that the lawyer cried in court before giving his speech.
Avenatti has certainly dug a big hole for himself. He will be on trial next week for fraud in Los Angeles. He is facing another trial in California towards the end of the year. He will be prosecuted in Manhattan next year for allegedly stealing hundreds of thousands from a previous client named Stormy Daniels.
Daniels, born Stephanie Clifford, reportedly accused Trump of having an affair with her and paid her “hush money” of $130,000 before the 2016 election to keep silent about it.
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