Celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti has been arrested on charges related to an alleged $20 million extortion of the athletic apparel company Nike, federal authorities said Monday.
A press conference is scheduled to discuss the charges against Avenatti in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon. Avenatti is due to be presented in federal court on Monday.
A criminal complaint against Avenatti says he "devised a scheme to extort a company by means of an interstate communication by threatening to damage the company's reputation if the company did not agree to make multi-million dollar payments to Avenatti and [co-conspirator], and further agree to pay an additional $1.5 million to a client of Avenatti's."
The complaint says that last Wednesday, Avenatti and a cooperating witness spoke by phone with lawyers for Nike "during which Avenatti stated, with respect to his demands for payment of milions of dollars, that if those demands were not met 'I'll go take ten billion dollars off your client's market cap ... I'm not f---ing around.' "
Nike had no immediate comment.This message has been edited. Last edited by: sdy,
March 25, 2019, 12:27 PM
TigerDore
He has certainly had a stormy career.
March 25, 2019, 12:30 PM
PASig
And so it begins...
March 25, 2019, 12:33 PM
arfmel
What a dirtbag.
March 25, 2019, 12:35 PM
Southflorida-law
Sooner or later I knew he would yank the wrong tail.....
March 25, 2019, 12:35 PM
parabellum
Have fun, fuck face.
Oh, and just a bit of advice for ya, Mikey- you'll need a lawyer, but if you want any chance of winning, don't represent yourself, genius.
Meanwhile, President Trump is celebrating a victory, and you- well you, Mike, you're getting strip-searched. Have fun, laughing boy.
March 25, 2019, 12:35 PM
BamaJeepster
One of the charges must be attempted theft.
Trying to steal Jesse Jackson's and Al Sharpton's playbook.
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” - John Adams
March 25, 2019, 12:36 PM
Jimbo54
I wonder what effect this will have on his Presidential bid.
Jim
________________________
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll have to be a horrible warning" -Catherine Aird
March 25, 2019, 12:38 PM
parabellum
Maybe that whore- what's her name- Bumpy Landings- maybe she can save you like you saved her, shit head. Give her a call. You never know...
March 25, 2019, 12:39 PM
chellim1
Michael Avenatti seems desperate. He's twice divorced and broke.
"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown
"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor
March 25, 2019, 12:40 PM
parabellum
I hope it gets much worse for him.
March 25, 2019, 12:43 PM
feersum dreadnaught
quote:
Originally posted by parabellum: I hope it gets much worse for him.
Voila. Looks like you'll have to take a number and wait your turn to arrest him today...
Attorney Michael Avenatti Arrested On Federal Wire, Bank Fraud Charges
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Attorney Michael Avenatti has been arrested on federal wire and bank fraud charges, authorities announced Monday.
The charges were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Central District of California.
Avenatti, 48, of Century City, was arrested Monday on a two-count felony complaint alleged wire fraud and bank fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Nicola Hanna. Avenatti also was arrested in a separate federal case filed in New York.
According to prosecutors, Avenatti negotiated a settlement which called for $1.6 million in settlement money to be paid on January 10, 2018, but then gave the client a bogus settlement agreement with a false payment date of March 10, 2018.
The criminal complaint alleges Avenatti misappropriated his client’s settlement money and used it to pay expenses for his coffee business, Global Baristas US LLC, which operated Tully’s Coffee stores in California and Washington state, as well as for his own expenses.
When the fake March 2018 deadline passed and the client inquired about the funds, Avenatti continued to conceal that the payment had already been received, court documents alleged.
Prosecutors say Avenatti also allegedly defrauded a bank in Mississippi by submitting to the lender false tax returns in order to obtain three loans totaling $4.1 million for his law firm and coffee business in 2014.
According to the affidavit, Avenatti obtained the loans by submitting fabricated individual income tax returns (Forms 1040) for 2011, 2012, and 2013, reporting substantial income even though he had never filed any such returns with the Internal Revenue Service. The phony returns stated that he earned $4,562,881 in adjusted gross income in 2011, $5,423,099 in 2012, and $4,082,803 in 2013, according to the affidavit. Avenatti allegedly also claimed he paid $1.6 million in estimated tax payments to the IRS in 2012 and paid $1.25 million in 2013. In reality, Avenatti never filed personal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 and did not make any estimated tax payments in 2012 and 2013. Instead of the millions of dollars he claimed to have paid in taxes, Avenatti still owed the IRS $850,438 in unpaid personal income tax plus interest and penalties for the tax years 2009 and 2010, court papers state. The affidavit also alleges that, as part of his loan applications, Avenatti also submitted a fictitious partnership tax return for his law firm.
More details were expected at a scheduled 11 a.m. news conference.
In reality, Avenatti never filed personal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013
How the hell does someone do this, and we let them walk around? I mean all the above story is whackadoo and looks like he's going down finally, but WTF?
"we've gotta roll with the punches, learn to play all of our hunches Making the best of what ever comes our way Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition Plowing straight ahead come what may And theres a cowboy in the jungle" Jimmy Buffet
March 25, 2019, 12:55 PM
BamaJeepster
He's also facing federal charges in California for bank fraud.
This is amazing. A tsunami of good news!
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” - John Adams
March 25, 2019, 12:59 PM
Abn556
He’ll probably be the next mayor of Los Angeles.
+
March 25, 2019, 01:00 PM
Balzé Halzé
quote:
Originally posted by Georgeair:
quote:
In reality, Avenatti never filed personal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013
How the hell does someone do this, and we let them walk around? I mean all the above story is whackadoo and looks like he's going down finally, but WTF?
How do you mean? I knew a lady who didn't file a return for like ten years. Just didn't know better. Then when she finally realized she she should be, she filed all her back returns and ended up getting back a crapload of money.
Anyway, if you thought Trump was in a good mood before...haha
~Alan Acta Non Verba NRA Life Member (Patron) God, Family, Guns, Country
Men will fight and die to protect women... because women protect everything else. ~Andrew Klavan
"Once there was only dark. If you ask me, light is winning." ~Rust Cohle
March 25, 2019, 01:02 PM
dusty3030
This is the most beautiful thing I've read in some time. Made my day. Crash and burn creep.
