LOS ANGELES, CA. (THECOUNT) — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Monday charged lawyer Michael Avenatti for attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike, reports WGNTV.
New information says CNN analyst and attorney to the stars, Mark Geragos has been named as the co-conspirator cited in a federal indictment handed down Monday against Avenatti.
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According to the criminal complaint, Avenatti met in March 2019 with attorney for Nike and threatened to release damaging information about the company if Nike didn’t make millions in payment to himself and an unnamed co-conspirator. Avenatti also allegedly demanded that Nike pay $1.5 million to an individual he claimed to represent.
“I’ll go take $10 billion dollars off your client’s market cap…I’m not f***ing around,” Avenatti said, according to the complaint.
Until recently, Avenatti represented adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, a central figure in the hush-money scandal that resulted in Manhattan federal prosecutors charging President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty and is set to report to prison in May.
Avenatti didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Developing.