Michael Avenatti, ex-attorney for Stormy Daniels, convicted in Nike extortion case

NEW YORK — Michael Avenatti, a lawyer who gained fame by representing a porn star in lawsuits against President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike.

The verdict was returned Friday by a Manhattan federal jury after it deliberated charges of attempted extortion and honest services fraud in what prosecutors called Avenatti's attempt to extort up to $25 million from Nike with threats to otherwise harm the company.

The charges carry a combined potential penalty of 42 years in prison.

Avenatti, 48, became prominent during frequent cable television program appearances in 2018 and 2019 as journalists courted him for information about porn star Stormy Daniels and her claims of a Trump tryst before he became president and a payoff to remain silent about it.

At his peak of notoriety, Avenatti even touted himself as a potential political candidate who could run and beat President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. obliquely referred to those boasts after the guilty verdict was delivered, mockingly tweeting about Avenatti as a "former Democratic presidential candidate."

Another Trump tweet mocked Avenatti's prediction that the President's son would be indicted. "Aged like a fine wine ... #basta," Trump tweeted as he borrowed Avenatti's frequent Twitter sign-off.

Inside the federal courtroom in lower Manhattan, Avenatti glared at the jurors as the verdict was being announced. But he said nothing.

Afterward, he shook hands with his lawyers and told them “great job,” before he was led back to the cell where he has been held since a judge found he had violated his bail conditions.

His lawyer, Scott Srebnick, declined to comment but said he would appeal the conviction. Manhattan U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe et sentencing for June.

Jan. 14: Michael Avenatti, ex-attorney for Stormy Daniels, rearrested for alleged bail violations, New York prosecutors say

Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a formal statement that Avenatti "may have tried to hide behind legal terms and a suit and tie, the jury clearly saw the defendant’s scheme for what it was – an old fashioned shakedown."

The brash and fast-talking attorney's steep fall from power-broker status was swift when Avenatti was arrested as he was about to meet Nike lawyers last March to press his demands for millions of dollars to conduct an internal probe of the Beaverton, Oregon-based shoemaker.

Avenatti maintained he was taking the aggressive position at the urging of his client, Gary Franklin, who ran a youth basketball league in Los Angeles and was angry that Nike ended a decade-long sponsorship that provided $72,000 annually and free gear. He sought $1.5 million for Franklin, as well.

Franklin testified that two Nike executives forced him to pay money to the mother of an elite high school basketball player's mother and to pass along payments to the handlers of other players while doctoring paperwork to hide the purpose of the funds.

Avenatti did not testify in his own defense. However, his lawyers said he was following the wishes of Franklin and an entertainment executive who advised him to be aggressive to force Nike to fire corrupt executives and fix its culture.

The trial drew attention from the sports and political worlds, as well as from lawyers who represent clients in major criminal cases. Some of the defense attorneys in the campaign finance case against former associates of Rudy Giuliani, the President's personal lawyer, made a point to stop in at the Avenatti trial after a recent hearing in the case against their own clients.

Besides the extortion trial, Avenatti also faces a tentative April 21 trial opening in Manhattan federal court on charges that he defrauded Daniels of book proceeds. Also pending is a May trial in Los Angeles on charges that Avenatti defrauded clients and others of millions of dollars.

Avenatti and his attorneys are due back in Manhattan federal court on Feb. 25th for a hearing in the case involving Daniels. In an Instagram post after Friday's verdict, she said: "Sadly, it appears what Michael Avenatti did to me was just the tip of an iceberg of deceit. I am not surprised his dishonesty has been revealed on a grand scale."

Avenatti remains held without bail. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles succeeded last month in getting him locked up after they alleged he violated his $300,000 bail by moving money around illegally after his arrest.

Contributing: Kevin McCoy