(25 Mar 2019) Michael Avenatti, the attorney best known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump, was arrested Monday on charges that he threatened the sports giant Nike and embezzled a client’s money to pay his own expenses.
Avenatti was charged with extortion and bank and wire fraud in New York and California. He was arrested in New York.
In the California case, Avenatti was accused of embezzling a client’s money to pay his own expenses and debts — as well as those of his coffee business and law firm.
The U.S. attorney’s office also said he defrauded a bank by using phony tax returns to obtain millions of dollars in loans.
Los Angeles U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna says lawyer Michael Avenatti could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted on wire and bank fraud charges.
Hanna says the case filed in Los Angeles on Friday and unsealed Monday paints “an ugly picture of lawless conduct and greed.”
The case alleges in part that Avenatti collected a $1.6 million settlement for a client and used it for his own interests.
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