Celebrity Attorney Michael Avenatti Arrested!!
Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti has been arrested on charges related to an alleged $20 million extortion of the athletic apparel company Nike, federal authorities in New York City said Monday.
The arrest came about an hour after Avenatti posted on Twitter what appeared to be a threat to Nike. “We will be holding a press conference to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered. This criminal conduct reaches the highest levels of Nike and involves some of the biggest names in college basketball.”
Tmrw at 11 am ET, we will be holding a press conference to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered. This criminal conduct reaches the highest levels of Nike and involves some of the biggest names in college basketball.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 25, 2019
Avenatti is also charged in a separate federal case out of Los Angeles, where he is accused of embezzling a client’s money “in order to pay his own expense and debts,” and of “defrauding a bank in Mississippi,” officials said.
A press conference is scheduled for Monday afternoon in Los Angeles to discuss the charges against Avenatti.
The California-based attorney is known primarily for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, earning Avenatti the moniker Creepy Porn Lawyer (CPL). For a time, Avenatti was also being considered by the media as a possible presidential candidate for the Democrats to run against Trump in 2020.
In recent months, Avenatti has been known for his prognostications on Twitter, particularly his prediction that Donald Trump Jr. would be indicted by the end of the year 2018.
UPDATE: Daniels has responded on Twitter to the news of Avennati’s arrest with the following statement.
Knowing what I know now about Michael Avenatti, I am saddened but not shocked by news reports that he has been criminally charged today. I made the decision more than a month ago to terminate Michael’s services after discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly and there will be more announcements to come. I ask that the media respect my decision to withhold further public comment regarding Mr. Avenatti at this time.
UPDATE: Avenatti was released Monday evening after signing a $300,000 bond.
Very early Tuesday morning, he posted his first tweet since being charged. It was just about 15 hours after his morning tweet alleging Nike was involved in a high school and college basketball scandal.
I want to thank all of my supporters for your kind words and support today. It means a lot to me. I am anxious for people to see what really happened. We never attempted to extort Nike & when the evidence is disclosed, the public will learn the truth about Nike’s crime & coverup.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 26, 2019
Rather that maintaining silence in the wake of the charges against him, Avenatti stated that Nike did in fact committ a crime and a coverup.