On Tuesday, the Supreme Court turned down an appeal by Michael Avenatti, the California attorney, to overturn his conviction for attempting to extort nearly $25 million from Nike—meaning the sentence he received on three federal charges remains in place.
Avenatti gained national attention when he represented the American porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against former President Donald Trump but became involved in legal scandals himself, of which Nike was one.
A federal grand jury in New York found Avenatti guilty on three counts and sentenced him to 30 months in a San Pedro, CA, federal corrections facility. In addition to being found guilty in the Nike case, Avenatti also received a conviction for “cheating Daniels and other clients out of millions.”
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld Avenatti’s conviction, finding the evidence was sufficient to find him guilty on all three counts. He then appealed to the Supreme Court, partly arguing that the federal fraud law the court convicted him of is unconstitutionally vague. Represented by federal public defenders, Avenatti also argued that a lawyer’s settlement demand “cannot give rise to federal criminal extortion liability.”
Justice Kavanaugh did not take part in today’s Supreme Court decision, and the Court gave no reason for his absence, though Avenatti was involved in the justice’s confirmation hearing, representing a possible conflict. Avenatti also represented a woman who accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when he was in high school in the early 1980s, allegations that surfaced during his Supreme Court confirmation process in 2018. Kavanaugh denied the claims.
Avanatti can file a petition to rehear the Supreme Court’s decision within 25 days.
Image courtesy Associated Press
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See below for more SGB Media coverage of this matter.
Michael Avenatti Sentenced To 30 Months In Prison In Nike Extortion Case
