The former porn actress' lawyer who sued Trump was arrested for attempting extortion at Nike

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday accused lawyer Michael Avenatti of attempting to extort Nike for more than $ 20 million.

Avenatti was arrested by the FBI Monday morning in Manhattan and is scheduled to appear in court in the afternoon.

According to the criminal complaint, Avenatti met last March with Nike's lawyer and threatened the company to disclose information damaging to the company if Nike did not pay him 20 million US dollars, which would be shared between him and a person whose name is ignored, he was also part of the plot. Avenatti also claimed that it would touch $ 1.5 million to an individual that he claimed to represent.

"I'm going to withdraw $ 10 billion from the market value of your client … I'm not screwed up," said Avenatti, according to his complaint. "And I will not continue playing, you already know enough to know that you have a serious problem," he added.

Earlier Monday, the lawyer tweeted: "Tomorrow at 11 am EST, we will have a press conference to reveal a basketball scandal at high school / college perpetrated by @ Nike and discovered by us Nike's highest and involves some of the most important names in college basketball. "

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles will also file a case of electronic fraud and bank fraud against Avenatti during the afternoon.

Daniels published a statement on Twitter about Avenatti, saying that she was "sad" but that she was not surprised by the news. "I made the decision, more than a month ago, to terminate Michael 's services after discovering that he had treated me extremely dishonestly and that he was not doing anything. Other announcements would be made, "he said.

The Justice Department said that in addition to the case filed in New York, Avenatti had been arrested "following a criminal complaint alleging that he had embezzled a client's money to pay his bills." own expenses and debts – as well as those of his business – coffee and law firm – and also cheated a bank using fake tax returns to get millions of dollars in loans. "

In his announcement, the Justice Department said that if Mr. Avenatti was found guilty of both counts, he could incur "a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison under a legal sentence. "