Page 5 - AT

A5
U.S. NEWS Saturday 15 February 2020

$ 10

Michael Avenatti is convicted of trying to extort Nike

By LARRY NEUMEISTER who ran a youth basketball
Associated Press league in Los Angeles and
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael was angry that Nike ended
Avenatti, the combative a decade-long sponsor-
lawyer who gained fame ship that provided $72,000
by representing porn star annually and free gear.
Stormy Daniels in lawsuits He sought $1.5 million for
involving President Don- Franklin, as well.
ald Trump, was convicted Franklin testified that two
Friday of trying to extort Nike executives forced him
sportswear giant Nike. to pay money to the moth-
The verdict was returned by er of an elite high school
a federal jury in Manhattan basketball player and to
following a three-week trial pass along payments to
in which prosecutors said the handlers of other play-
Avenatti threatened to use ers while doctoring paper-
his media access to hurt work to hide the purpose of
Nike's reputation and stock the funds.
price unless the company Franklin said he felt be-
paid him up to $25 million. trayed by Avenatti after
The convictions for at- he learned the lawyer was
tempted extortion and demanding millions of dol-
honest services fraud carry lars for himself and another
a combined potential pen- lawyer. He also said he
alty of 42 years in prison. In this July 23, 2019, file photo, California attorney Michael Avenatti walks from a courthouse in would not have approved
Avenatti glared at the ju- New York, after facing charges. of Avenatti threatening to
rors as the verdict was be- Associated Press smear Nike's name, since
ing announced but said he wanted to repair his
nothing. were subject to when Av- an affair with Trump. sive position at the urging relationship with the com-
Afterward, he shook hands enatti threatened to stage After Avenatti's conviction, of his client Gary Franklin, pany. q
with his lawyers and told a news conference to Donald Trump Jr. said in a
them "great job" before he muddy Nike's name by link- tweet: "I look forward to Mi- In retort to abortion
was led back to the cell ing the company to a col- chael's witty twitter retorts
where he has been held lege basketball scandal. to the jury that just found ban, lawmaker calls for
since a judge found he had Avenatti, 48, became a ca- him guilty in all counts.
violated his bail conditions. ble news fixture in 2018 and Though I'm told he is still do- vasectomies
His lawyer, Scott Srebnick, 2019 as journalists courted ing well amongst the Dem-
said he would appeal the him for information about ocrat primary contenders." MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) duce new legislation that
conviction but otherwise Daniels and her claims of The president's son also — An Alabama lawmaker tries to dictate a woman’s
declined to comment. A a tryst with Trump before sent a tweet with snippets fed up with her colleagues’ body and her reproductive
judge set sentencing for he became president, and of some of Avanatti's televi- attempts to outlaw abor- rights. We should view this
June. a payoff to remain silent sion appearances and sug- tion has filed legislation to as the same outrageous
The jury agreed with pros- about it. At his peak of no- gested the media loved require all men over 50 to overstep in authority,” the
ecutors who argued that toriety, Avenatti used Twit- Avenatti. get vasectomies. Birmingham lawmaker
Avenatti misused a client's ter and TV appearances to Avenatti's fall was swift. He Democratic Rep. Rolanda wrote in a statement text-
information "in an effort relentlessly criticize Trump was arrested as he was Hollis said Friday that she ed to The Associated Press.
to extort tens of millions of and even considered run- about to meet Nike law- introduced the bill to send Hollis said that doctors,
dollars" from Nike, U.S. At- ning for president himself. yers last March to press his “the message that men and not legislators, are the
torney Geoffrey S. Berman Many of his appearances demands for millions of dol- should not be legislating ones to be consulted over
said in a written statement. occurred while he was lars to conduct an internal what women do with their surgery, medications and
"While the defendant may representing Daniels and probe of the Beaverton, bodies.” making the “incredibly dif-
have tried to hide behind after the arrest of Trump's Oregon-based apparel Alabama lawmakers last ficult decisions” related
legal terms and a suit and personal lawyer, Michael maker. Evidence at trial year approved a ban on to personal reproductive
tie, the jury clearly saw the Cohen. Cohen is serving a showed Avenatti owed at abortion unless the wom- rights. Alabama was one of
defendant's scheme for three-year prison sentence least $11 million at the time an’s life was in danger. A several states that last year
what it was — an old fash- after pleading guilty to ly- and had been evicted federal judge blocked the attempted to enact new
ioned shakedown," he said. ing to Congress and cam- from his law offices for fail- law from taking effect while abortion restrictions in the
At trial, lawyers for Nike paign finance violations in ure to pay rent that totaled a legal challenge plays out hopes of getting the U.S.
used words like "shake- connection with hush pay- roughly $50,000 a month. in court. Supreme Court to revisit the
down" and "stickup" to de- ments to Daniels and an- Avenatti maintained he “Year after year the major- 1973 decision that legalized
scribe what they felt they other woman who claimed was taking the aggres- ity party continues to intro- abortion nationwide.q