On Monday, Michael Avenatti was arrested in New York City and charged with four counts of extortion and conspiracy charges in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. According to court papers filed on Monday, Avenatti is accused of trying to extort between $15 and $25 million from Nike. He supposedly threatened to expose the company’s alleged improper payments to high school basketball players.
He was released on a $300,000 personal recognizance bond and had to turn in his passport. He also is required to report any financial transaction over $5,000. In a brief statement addressing the media, he was adamant that he would be fully exonerated after all the evidence was laid bare and that justice will be done.
Hours before his arrest, Avenatti had announced a press conference for tomorrow at 11 a.m informing the public of Nike’s supposed improper payments to high school basketball players.
In a separate case, the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles announced that Avenatti faces charges of bank and wire fraud for supposedly embezzling money from a client and bank fraud.
Michael Avenattie gained notoriety representing adult movie star Stormy Daniels who claimed she had an affair with Donald Trump and received $130,000 for her silence a few weeks before the 2016 Presidential elections.
