In the New York case, he was accused of threatening to use his ability to get publicity to harm the sports apparel giant Nike. In the California case, Avenatti was accused of embezzling a client’s money to pay his own expenses and debts — as well as those of his coffee business and law firm. Avenatti and a co-conspirator demanded to be paid a minimum of $15 to $25 million and an additional $1.5 million for an Avenatti client to remain silent, the complaint said. The court papers said the co-conspiracy, who was not identified in court papers, is also an attorney licensed to practice in California. The complaint said the AAU program coached by the Avenatti client was sponsored by Nike for $72,000 annually.

Source: National Post March 25, 2019 18:00 UTC