Federal prosecutors in New York announced Monday that they will charge lawyer Michael Avenatti, who gained notoriety for his representation of Stormy Daniels and a discredited Brett Kavanaugh accuser, with an attempt to extort $20 million from Nike. He is also being charged with wire and bank fraud by prosecutors in California.
The backdrop: Avenatti tweeted just before the charges were announced, saying he would hold a press conference Tuesday “to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered.”
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Read the charges being brought against Michael Avenattihttps://t.co/uRDbmv0Foo
— Axios (@axios) March 25, 2019
In New York, Avenatti has been charged on 4 counts of extortion for “attempting to extract more than $20 million in payments from a publicly traded company [Nike] by threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial and reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met.”
In Los Angeles, Avenatti was charged with two counts of wire fraud and bank fraud.
Shot // Chaser pic.twitter.com/psJRyheayY
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 25, 2019
The FBI recorded Avenatti's interactions with Nike after the company reported his threats to damage its reputation with an upcoming presser.
Day 1: Avenatti demands millions from Nike under the guise of legal work
Day 2: Avenatti to Nike: “I’m not f—ng around with this” pic.twitter.com/D1ytdISc7W— POLITICO (@politico) March 25, 2019
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