The tides have certainly changed for the formerly-lauded, presently-disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti.
In 2018, Avenatti made headlines for his representation of Stormy Daniels, the porn star who alleged to having an affair with Donald Trump in 2006. Throughout Avenatti’s representation of Daniels, both parties maintained that the Trump campaign paid the latter $130,000 in order to remain silent about the alleged affair. It’s important to note that the president denies ever having an affair with the porn star or paying her to remain silent about it.
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During this time, Avenatti was upheld and deified by Democrats and the left-wing, Trump-hating media. The attorney rapidly rose to fame and even publically mulled over the prospect of running for president. Of course, his fame and ambitions for political office were quickly shut down after facing various legal issues regarding his then-alleged extortion of Nike and other matters.
Yesterday, a Manhattan jury convicted Avenatti of this unsavory, illegal conduct, reports Breitbart News.
A Close Look at Avenatti’s Conviction
In a nutshell, Avenatti attempted to weaponize his influence in the media, threatening to use this power against Nike unless the brand forked over $25 million dollars. The now-disgraced attorney decided that threatening the wellbeing of Nike’s stock and professional reputation was a smart move to get what he wanted. Needless to say, this outcome did not engender the desired repercussions.
At this time, Avenatti is now facing a mountainous sum of 42 years behind bars due to his conviction of honest services fraud and attempted extortion. Moreover, he remains in holding by the state due to previously breaching the established bail stipulations via illegal transfers of funds. A lawyer representing Avenatti has expressed a plan to contest the aforementioned conviction.
As it currently stands, the disgraced attorney can expect to receive his sentence in June 2020. In April and May, however, Avenatti is set to deal with additional legal trials; this time, the charges against Avenatti assert that he cheated Stormy Daniels and additional clients of his out of book earnings, along with millions of dollars.
The Fall from Grace
Throughout the trial leading up to his conviction, Avenatti maintained that he was only negotiating with Nike on behalf of a client. The client in question, however, had a different account, testifying that Nike executives mandated him to make hefty payments to various sources, whilst creating fraudulent documents to conceal said hefty payments.
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The same media personalities and other figures who once lauded and praised Avenatti are now silent in the wake of his demise. It’s quite safe to say that in light of this week’s conviction and the series of additional legal issues that Avenatti is facing, his time as the beloved, leftist media darling is long gone.
What do you make of the conviction of Michael Avenatti and the additional, forthcoming trials that he faces later this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
