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Michael Avenatti's efforts to redeem himself after a series of damaging episodes appear to have ended on Monday after authorities accused him of trying to extort between $ 15 million and $ 25 million Nike sport.
The lawyer, who once represented the star of adult cinema Stormy Daniels before returning him, was charged by federal prosecutors in New York with organizing "an old-fashioned shakedown" at the following an infiltration operation.
Prosecutors claim that Avenatti attempted to extort Nike "by threatening to use its ability to advertise itself to inflict financial harm and damage to the company's reputation, if its requirements were not satisfied ".
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"According to the allegations, Michael Avenatti contacted Nike last week with a list of financial demands in exchange for concealing allegations of reprehensible conduct on the part of the company," said William Sweeney Jr., deputy director of FBI.
"The high price included a $ 1.5 million gain for the Avenatti customer and tens of millions of dollars for his firm's legal services – services never requested by Nike. This is nothing more than a mere case of extortion. "
On the same day as the Nike case, he was charged with wire fraud and bankruptcy in another case in California.
The latest lawsuits against Avenatti mark the end of attempts to rehabilitate its reputation in the eyes of the public, including the handling of high-profile cases such as that against the R & B star, R. Kelly, in the purpose of going out of the shadow of controversy and redeeming oneself. a lawyer who holds the powerful leader.
But Avenatti continues to face the consequences of accusations of domestic violence, as well as increasing legal and financial problems.
He debuted in the spotlight last March as a lawyer for Stormy Daniels, appearing hundreds of times on CNN and MSNBC in just two months, often on unrelated issues.
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He has used the national spotlight as a springboard to make himself known and openly has the opportunity to run for president in 2020 as a Democratic candidate, by launching a largely dead PAC. He even toured the United States, visiting the first states such as New Hampshire and Iowa, citing speculation that he was really serious about his race.
But an avalanche of controversy has hit the lawyer, who has always maintained his innocence while asserting more and more conspiratorial that he was the target of his policy and his opposition to Trump.
Avenatti was initially the victim of two referrals as part of a criminal investigation for his role in the allegations against Supreme Court Justice Bret Kavanaugh, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, accusing directly Avenatti to have conspired to provide false statements to Congress.
These statements flow from her representative, Julie Swetnick, who stated that Kavanaugh had participated in "gang" and "train" rapes at high school parties. These charges were so bizarre that even Swetnick had to retract. for advertising.
Then come the allegations of domestic violence in November, when actress Mareli Miniutti claimed that Aventatti had dragged her by the arm on the floor of her apartment after a fight.
Avenatti maintained his innocence and hinted that the policy was at the origin of the charges. Although he has repeated such claims several times, he has never produced any evidence that his ex-girlfriend's accusations were politically motivated.
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Similarly, he suggested that the policy was behind the latest charges in California's banking and banking fraud case, where he faces 50 years of conviction.
The consequences of accusations of domestic violence were immediate. Democratic groups, who apparently saw an opportunity to associate with the firebrand lawyer who could prove to be an effective anti-Trump messenger, quickly began to break it and cancel the invitations to take the speech.
Shortly afterwards, Avenatti announced the end of its possible candidacy for the Democratic Party's nomination in 2020.
Authorities in Los Angeles decided in February not to formally charge the lawyer with mistreating the woman, but left an open window between hearings.
At the same time, Avenatti was faced with financial problems and charges of illegally holding settlement funds as part of a "Ponzi" scheme, and then repeatedly lying about it.
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The financial documents reviewed by Fox News showed that the funds under a settlement agreement were transferred to an account designated by Avenatti, while the lawyer continued to answer the client's questions about the location of the funds.
The client, Gregory Barela, set out the charges in a statement of claim against Avenatti filed with the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS), a private entity that, unlike the Court of First Instance, has jurisdiction over the complaint filed by client-lawyer. agreement between Barela and Avenatti.
The allegations contained in the statement, which have been reported for the first time by the Daily Beast, include the fact that Barela relied on relatively modest "advances" on Avenatti funds to join the two. while waiting for settlement funds.
Despite all the controversy, Avenatti remains convinced that he will overcome the challenges and win, once again adopted by the media and the higher echelons of society.
But the latest accusations in California and New York may have particularly struck. Avenatti seemed a little defeatist in a recent interview, when he admitted he was "nervous" and "scared" of the possibility of being put behind bars.
"No, and any suggestion is absolutely absurd," he told CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan about the question of whether he was trying to extort money from sports society.
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"From the first contact with Nike, Nike knew I was insisting that the truth about what Nike had done be disclosed to federal prosecutors and investigators," he said on the network.
"In fact, for years, Nike and its leaders have been paying out to amateur players, high school players, their coaches, and their family members to take them to colleges that were Nike colleges and hopefully at the NBA they can sign a shoe contract with Nike. "
Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report.
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