Breitbart News reported that the Supreme Court has upheld the extortion conviction of once high-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti.
The conviction relates to his attempt to extort up to $25 million from sports apparel giant Nike.
Avenatti, who shot to fame representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels against former President Donald Trump, faced charges of trying to leverage damaging information against Nike for personal gain.
His plot involved extortion under the guise of settlement negotiations related to allegations of improper payments to amateur basketball players.
Despite his previous prominence, Avenatti’s legal turmoil had a significant escalation. The charges were centered on his threat to expose Nike's alleged illicit activities unless the company paid him millions.
The controversy peaked as Avenatti’s appeal reached the highest court. The Supreme Court chose not to intervene, silently dismissing his claims that the statutes used to convict him were overly vague and unjust.
Avenatti's legal team argued that his actions were simply part of standard legal negotiations and should not be deemed criminal extortion. They maintained that the statute under which he was convicted is unconstitutionally vague.
Furthermore, they contended that Avenatti could not be charged with attempting to extort money from Nike as he was engaged in settlement negotiations.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh abstained from the decision due to previous public accusations directed at him, which Avenatti facilitated through his representation of Julie Swetnick during Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination proceedings.
The decision to uphold the conviction comes at a politically charged time, paralleling ongoing legal scrutiny of Donald Trump in a separate case unrelated to Avenatti’s. Avenatti has also faced various other criminal charges, including embezzlement from clients and tax evasion connected to his coffee business operations.
In a complex legal journey, he was sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison for these activities, spanning tax evasion, embezzling funds from clients, and the extortion case linked to Nike.
The case against Avenatti presents a significant commentary on the bounds of legitimate legal strategies versus criminal actions. His planned release in 2035 marks the end of what was once a promising legal career, overshadowed by criminal misdeeds.
The saga of Michael Avenatti, entwined with renowned figures and high-stakes legal battles, exemplifies the profound intersections of law, politics, and media spectacle. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Avenatti's sentence, reinforcing the evidential sufficiency of his conviction and asserting the safeguarding of honest services as fundamental to the case’s disposition.
