/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-infobae.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZHYVKQCVFJABVMBRAGXM4SOTAI.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Attorney Michael Avenatti, a strong opponent of Trump, was convicted of trying to extort Nike")
Michael Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort millions of dollars from Nike Inc. and defraud a customer in the process, which determines a sharp fall for a famous lawyer who attracted national attention by standing out as one of the president’s greatest critics Donald Trump.
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The jurors in Manhattan found Avenatti guilty of the three criminal charges. Friday’s verdict, after a two-week trial, could lead to a long prison term for the lawyer, who became a national figure representing the actress of porn movies Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against Trump.
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Avenatti showed no reaction when the verdict was read. The sentence was set for June 17.
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The California lawyer was indicted in March after meeting with Nike lawyers to discuss the claims of his client, a youth basketball coach, that the company bribed the best players to attend universities with Nike-sponsored teams. The United States said it threatened to make the claims public if Nike did not pay up to US $ 25 million to investigate the alleged corruption.
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Avenatti said the case was a political reward for his confrontation with Trump, although a judge prevented him from advancing that theory before jurors. He also accused Nike of inventing the extortion claim to win the favor of prosecutors who were investigating the same alleged conduct.
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The jury of six men and six women in Manhattan did not accept Avenatti’s defense that indicated that he had simply entered into difficult negotiations on behalf of a client who wanted him to “face” Nike.
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The legal problems of Avenatti can only increase. In April he will be tried again on charges of New York having stolen an advance on the book intended for Daniels, who fired him. And in California, he is accused of cheating several clients and cheating the Internal Revenue Service.
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In the case of Nike, prosecutors said Avenatti made claims to the company while representing Gary Franklin, a coach in California who claimed to have extensive evidence that Nike had been paying cash bribes to the best high school players in 2016 and 2017 .
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Federal prosecutors in Manhattan began investigating Nike regarding potentially illicit payments in 2017, when Adidas AG was hit with a related scandal. When Avenatti made his claim, Nike’s lawyers went to the government to report his behavior.
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The judge limited what Avenatti could tell the jury. The US District Judge Paul Gardephe blocked Nike employees from his subpoenas and said that the evidence Avenatti was looking for was not relevant to the chargess. Avenatti can challenge Gardephe’s opinions about his appeal.
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(By Erik Larson / Bloomberg)
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