https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoyt...e/#4b2d6b82421b

(Updated: 3:35 p.m. EST, Feb. 14 2020)

Topline: Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was convicted by a Manhattan jury Friday of extorting Nike for tens of millions of dollars, the first resolution in a host of federal charges that Avenatti is battling in California and New York.

Avenatti was accused of extorting up to $25 million from sportswear maker Nike by threatening to expose a high school and college basketball scam perpetrated by the company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The WSJ reported Avenatti was convicted on all three counts: “extortion, transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, and wire fraud.”
The case against Avenatti emerged after he met with Nike’s outside counsel and told them one of his clients had evidence that the company made secret payments to families of the country’s top high school basketball players, and demanded the money to buy his silence.
At the time, Nike had already been cooperating with a federal investigation on corruption in high school basketball.
Avenatti was arrested March 15, 2019, according to NBC News, about 15 minutes after he tweeted that he would hold a news conference revealing the alleged Nike scam.
“The verdict speaks volumes. We thank the jurors for their time and service, which is the bedrock of the American judicial system,” a Nike spokesperson told Forbes in an email.
Big number: According to Quartz, Avenatti faces over 330 years of prison time for all charges against him, with the maximum sentence in the Nike case being 47 years. Although that sentence will probably be reduced, he will likely be disbarred and no longer able to practice law.

Key background: Avenatti rose to fame in 2018 for representing Stormy Daniels, one of two women to have received hush money payments for their alleged affairs with President Trump, which the president denies. Avenatti was the subject of numerous magazine profiles and photo shoots and made regular television appearances⁠—and was considering a possible 2020 presidential run, going so far as to create a PAC and meet with donors. But, beginning in April 2019, Avenatti was hit with a slew of federal charges in California and New York accusing him of extortion, fraud and embezzlement. Besides the Nike case, Avenatti still faces two additional criminal trials. Daniels has accused Avenatti of stealing $300,000 from her, while another client, who is paraplegic, accused Avenatti of stealing millions from him. Those cases will be heard in two separate trials later this year, according to the WSJ. Avenatti has been in custody since a January 15 arrest for violating his pretrial release terms. The Washington Post reported that Avenatti is scheduled for sentencing in the Nike case on June 17, 2020.

Oops!

He deserves prison time but if he doesn't deserve anything close to 334 years. In a world where traitors like Roger stone get a slap on the wrist and traitors like Flynn gets a new trial, Avenatti should get 10 days community service tops.

j/c:

Democrats love Avennatti.

He's just another scum bag. But he did point out that Trump was lying about paying off Stormy Daniels. Sometimes it takes a scum bag to go after a scum bag.

Way to show respect to the President Pit. Would you admit he has done a lot for the United States?

Who are you going to vote for? An old Communist , a gay guy , a fake indian, a senial old groper or Amy Klobachar?

He has done more to divide, deceive and lie to this country than any president in my lifetime. He has attacked anyone who disagrees with him. He is the nastiest POS I've ever seen.

I'll vote for anyone but Trump. I can see you have a problem with "gay guys". At least the guy you're talking about had the balls to serve.

They seem to think respect is just given. trump hasn’t earned my respect. He’s a lowest common denominator human. Reptile brained, self centered, arrogant, boastful, narcissistic, petty, generally every trait any good parent would hope to never see in their child. Grown or otherwise.
trump is deplorable. Unworthy of my respect.

and his wife would also have the BALLS to serve also LMAO

And for some reason you think a coward in the White house is a better option.

I've seen Pitts posts over the years and at this point completely baffled what he supports or what his values are.

Is he a Conservative? Is he a Democrat? Is he a Libertarian? Is he a Socialist? Is he a Communist? Nobody knows because he's too scared to tell us his views. I bet he supports Mitt Romney though.

My views have been posted for years. I'm an American and a Patriot. I'm conservative on foreign policy and more liberal on social issues. That's called a moderate. You favor extremism to the point you feel people have to wear a label in one extreme or the other.

There are just as many people who don't.

Then it sounds like you're a Libertarian to me. My views are below:

-Fiscally conservative
-Foreign policy conservative (don't want to be the police of the world)
-Want limited government, shrink size of government
-Want highest rights to the individual, socially liberal
-Pro choice on abortion
-Support LGBTQ rights
-Pro legalization of certain drugs
-Don't want illegal immigration to happen
-Want a sufficient and strong military to protect us
-Pro free market capitalism
-Pro constitution and 2nd amendment

Pete might be gay, but Trump is the one wearing makeup everyday. And he stopped being considered President to anyone who isn't alt-right when he started his divisive rhetoric. He's never acted like he wants to be my President that's for damn sure.

I love how you guys have the balls to call Bernie a communist when you know damn well he's not. Or you call him a socialist like it's terrible. Yet you worship an autocrat that would be dictator and shows every sign of being fascist. When did we decide european style social democracy was worse than european style fascism?

Brilliant political representatives like yourself thrive on childish name calling like 10 year olds on a playground. The saddest crap I've ever seen and or realized is that 30% of the voting population lives in that same head space sharing that same childlike mentality. All the Trump supporters line up daily in a chorus of chest thumping over the fact that President DENSA, as stupid as he is, hasn't managed to ruin or even interrupt the economy he was handed by the first Black President. Man Obama knows how to build a lasting economy! And after Bernie whoops Trumps ass in November, we'll have a President that makes that great economy start working for blue collar families again after 40 years of trickle down voodoo economics kept wages stagnant and transferred all the wealth to the top 1%. Between that and working on social injustices we might finally have a country worthy of being called Great Again.

Much closer than you would think. I'm a fan of a capitalistic system but not unbridled capitalism. As with any system I think safeguards must be in place to stop abuse.

I'm for social programs that help all of our citizens. Some seem to try and say that social programs equal a socialist government but they are two entirely different things. I don't believe capitalism should be in charge of the education and health of our nation. Capitalism is a wonderful system but is certainly based on profit. When it comes to the education of our citizens and the health of our nation those are investments in a better America for all of us and not a get rich scheme.

So we are very close on a lot of issues but pretty far off on a few.

When did open gay bashing become acceptable conduct here? IMHO that's pretty much the same as dropping 'N' bombs and other racial slurs. And you can bet the breitbart style anti semitism isn't far behind. We might as well be posting on 8chan lately, because the posts around here are rapidly devolving to that level.

J\C

wow some here are getting weirder and weirder

Why does he have to fit into one of your labeled boxes to be an American who cares about his country? That's the problem with 30% of America having limited reasoning capacity. You almost have to draw everything out in crayon for there to be a debate that both sides can comprehend.

Care to elaborate?

It's something I expect on here.

See these are the types of conversations and tone that people in congress, the president, and the administration should be having and see where they meet in the middle. Everyone needs to make an effort though and that doesn't seem to happen.

We agree on this. You should see how Bernie interacts with Trump supporters and other republicans that come to his town hall meetings. I'm pretty sure he got lots of applause on FOX's town hall that he held.

What is this thread topic?

It started as Michael Avenatti possibly getting over 330 years in prison but I think its morphed into something more uplifting and encouraging then that. Its a free for all but in a good way.

I will say I do admire Bernie's direct talk and how he seems to tell it like it is. At least he doesn't try and mask his policies or beliefs. You can take or leave them for what they are. I don't agree with him on most things but a lot of what he says the establishment doesn't like because it exposes them and the corrupt people that they are. To me this is similar to what Trump did in 2016.

But the question is ...did you ?

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I tried that once. Had to throw the damn screen away as the crayon wouldn't wipe off.