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You are here: Home / Archives for Michael Avenatti

Michael Avenatti Faces Sentencing

July 8, 2021 at 11:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti, the brash attorney who became a leading foe of then-President Donald Trump, faces criminal sentencing in New York on Thursday afternoon for a brazen botched scheme to extort athletic apparel giant Nike out of up to $25 million,” CNBC reports.

“Avenatti’s troubles won’t end after Manhattan federal court Judge Paul Gardephe sentences him in the Nike case, in which prosecutors have asked a prison term of around eight years… The 50-year-old California lawyer faces two more pending federal criminal trials.”

Filed Under: Crime and Punishment Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti May Be In El Chapo’s Jail Cell

January 21, 2020 at 10:08 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti’s attorneys want him moved out of his jail cell — which may have been used by El Chapo — because it’s freezing and the conditions are hampering his defense,” CNN reports.

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Michael Avenatti Arrested by Feds at California Hearing

January 14, 2020 at 10:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti was led out of the State Bar Court in Los Angeles by federal agents on Tuesday evening, the Daily Beast reports.

“The arrest occurred outside the disciplinary hearing in which the State Bar of California has accused the hard-charging, tough-talking attorney of using a doctored document to scam a client out of nearly $840,000, funneling money from a lawsuit settlement fund to his own personal use.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

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Avenatti Says He May Still Run for President

August 3, 2019 at 12:37 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The firebrand attorney Michael Avenatti told CNBC that he is again considering a run for the Democratic nomination for president after he declared last year he wouldn’t take part in the contest.

Said Avenatti: “I don’t think I need to make a final decision for a number of months. I have the name ID and everyone knows I’m one of the few effective fighters that the Dems have.”

Still, Avenatti said he has a “number of things to deal with” before deciding whether he will jump into the race. He was arrested in New York in March for an alleged $20 million extortion scheme against Nike. A month later, federal prosecutors in California indicted Avenatti on three dozen counts including stealing money from clients and lying to regulators about his income.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Says Trump Is Behind His Indictment

May 23, 2019 at 11:31 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti told the Washington Examiner that his recent indictment is a product of political revenge by the Trump administration, alleging one Republican close to the president said it “had Trump’s fingerprints all over it.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Indicted for Defrauding Stormy Daniels

May 22, 2019 at 2:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged with ripping off porn star Stormy Daniels, the client who made him famous,” the AP reports.

“Federal prosecutors say Avenatti took money Daniels was supposed to get from a book deal.”

Meanwhile, CNBC reports Avenatti was also indicted “on charges of trying to extort athletic shoe giant Nike out of tens of millions of dollars by threatening to go public with embarassing information about the company.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels

Avenatti Indicted on 36 Criminal Charges

April 11, 2019 at 11:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged in a 36-count federal indictment alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, did not pay his taxes, committed bank fraud and lied in bankruptcy proceedings,”, according to the Associated Press.

“The new charges do not include the New York extortion case alleging Avenatti demanded millions to stay quiet about claims he planned to reveal about Nike paying high school players.”

Los Angeles Times: “Avenatti stole millions of dollars from five clients and used a tangled web of shell companies and bank accounts to cover up the theft, the Santa Ana grand jury alleged in an indictment that prosecutors will make public Thursday.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Drops Presidential Bid

December 4, 2018 at 12:16 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti announced that, at his family’s urging, he will not run for president in 2020.

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Crashes and Burns

December 2, 2018 at 7:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti’s cable TV bookings have dwindled. He was uninvited from one prominent Democratic event and skipped out on another. Now his highest-profile client is bringing new allegations against him,” Politico reports.

“In just a matter of weeks, Avenatti’s fortunes have taken a nosedive, rapidly downshifting from 2020 presidential prospect to political pariah.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Daniels Says Avenatti Sued Trump Against Her Wishes

November 28, 2018 at 5:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Stormy Daniels told the Daily Beast that Michael Avenatti sued Donald Trump for defaming her against her wishes.

“Avenatti also started a new fundraising site to raise money for her legal defense fund without telling her, Daniels said. She said she is not sure whether or not she will keep Avenatti on as her lawyer.”

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti, Stormy Daniels

Woman Claims Avenatti Dragged Her Across the Floor

November 20, 2018 at 4:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“An actress who says she had a relationship with Michael Avenatti alleges he dragged her by the arm across the floor of his Los Angeles apartment after an argument,” the AP reports.

Avenatti says the allegations are “completely false” and “fabricated.” He says he’ll be fully vindicated after a thorough investigation.

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Arrested for Domestic Violence

November 14, 2018 at 6:01 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti, who became famous for representing Stormy Daniels in her battle with President Trump, has been arrested for felony domestic violence, law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Filed Under: Celebrities Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Quietly Builds 2020 Team

October 29, 2018 at 9:09 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti has assembled a team of Democratic political veterans who are helping him coordinate meetings with donors, connect with national and state party officials, craft messaging and build out a digital fundraising apparatus designed to enable a 2020 presidential bid,” Politico reports.

Said Avenatti: “I think a lot of people underestimate me. I’m battle-tested, unlike some of the other likely candidates. They’re not tough enough … If you put them in a kinder, gentler time; or against someone else? They’d be great. They’d be better than me. But they don’t have a chance in hell against Donald Trump.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Says Democrats Need a White Male In 2020

October 25, 2018 at 2:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Michael Avenatti told Time that the 2020 Democratic Party nominee for president needs to be a white man.

Said Avenatti: “I think it better be a white male. When you have a white male making the arguments, they carry more weight. Should they carry more weight? Absolutely not. But do they? Yes.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Hit with $4.85 Million Judgement

October 22, 2018 at 2:56 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, was hit with a personal judgment of $4.85 million Monday for his failure to pay a debt to a former colleague at his longtime Newport Beach firm,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Less than an hour after his defeat in the Los Angeles lawsuit, the firm, Eagan Avenatti, suffered another setback at a trial in Santa Ana: The Irvine Company won a court order evicting Avenatti and his staff from their suite at Fashion Island mall for failing to pay the last four months of rent.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

Avenatti Tries to Raise Money Off Beto O’Rourke

October 12, 2018 at 3:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Daily Beast: “Michael Avenatti on Thursday tweeted a link to Democratic donation platform ActBlue that appeared to be an O’Rourke donation page, but the fine print on the page noted that, by default, half of the money donated would go to Avenatti’s Fight PAC.”

Filed Under: Campaign Finance Tagged With: Beto O'Rourke, Michael Avenatti, TX-Sen

Avenatti Taunts Donald Trump Jr.

October 9, 2018 at 11:12 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

After Donald Trump Jr. joked over Twitter that Michael Avenatti could pick former Rep. Anthony Weiner as his running mate, Avenatti responded that the president’s son will soon “be indicted” on federal charges.

Said Avenatti: “If I were you, the last thing I would be doing is referencing other people getting out of federal prison. Because after you are indicted, you will likely be passing them on your way in. BTW, they don’t have silver spoons or gold toilets in the joint. Buckle up, Buttercup.”

Filed Under: 2020 Campaign Tagged With: Donald Trump Jr., Michael Avenatti

Team Kavanaugh Thanks Michael Avenatti

October 7, 2018 at 7:50 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Michael Avenatti was a hot conversation topic Saturday night at Trump Hotel, where administration officials gathered for happy hour with advisers from the outside groups who poured money and energy into confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court,” according to Jonathan Swan.

“At one point in the evening, a senior person at one of the outside groups joked that Avenatti might have been on the Republican payroll.”

Said one source: “You guys put Avenatti up to it, right?”

Filed Under: White House Tagged With: Michael Avenatti

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Follow me on Twitter, Mastodon and Post.News.

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