Michael Avenatti has been charged with 36 counts of fraud, perjury, embezzlement, tax evasion, and other financial crimes, two weeks after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to blackmail Nike for $25 million.
Federal prosecutors announced the criminal charges after a grand jury in Southern California late Wednesday indicted the celebrity lawyer, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels and once considered running for president in 2020.
Avenatti, 48, was charged with stealing millions of dollars from his clients and using that money to pay for things, including a $5 million jet he co-owns.
Avenatti responded to the charges Thursday morning.
“For 20 years, I have represented Davids vs. Goliaths and relied on due process and our system of justice. Along the way, I have made many powerful enemies. I am entitled to a FULL presumption of innocence and am confident that justice will be done once ALL of the facts are known,” Avenatti said on Twitter.
For 20 years, I have represented Davids vs. Goliaths and relied on due process and our system of justice. Along the way, I have made many powerful enemies. I am entitled to a FULL presumption of innocence and am confident that justice will be done once ALL of the facts are known.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 11, 2019
“I intend to fully fight all charges and plead NOT GUILTY. I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me,” Avenatti added in another tweet.
I intend to fully fight all charges and plead NOT GUILTY. I look forward to the entire truth being known as opposed to a one-sided version meant to sideline me.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 11, 2019
Avenatti’s alleged schemes include him stealing millions from his clients, one of which was a paraplegic man, and funneling it into shell companies and bank accounts he created.
The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office listed four categories it put the charges into: bank fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud, and bankruptcy fraud.
“These four areas of criminal conduct alleged in the indictment are all linked to one another because money generated from one set of crimes was used to further other crimes — typically in the form of payments to lull victims and to prevent Mr. Avenatti’s financial house of cards from collapsing,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna.
Last month, Avenatti was hit with charges in federal cases spanning across two states for allegedly attempting to extort millions of dollars out of Nike in exchange for him staying silent on purported smears he would use against them if they refused to pay up.
“I’m not fucking around with this, and I’m not continuing to play games,” Avenatti said in a call recorded by law enforcement. “I’ll go take a billion dollars off your client’s market cap. But I’m not fucking around.”
Earlier in March, Stormy Daniels announced she was parting ways with Avenatti as her personal lawyer in her legal battle against President Trump. She said Avenatti did not treat her “with the respect and deference an attorney should show to a client.”
