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By Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The as soon as high-flying California lawyer Michael Avenatti deserves a “very substantial” prison sentence for making an attempt to extort tens of millions of {dollars} from Nike Inc, U.S. prosecutors informed a choose.
The Wednesday night time suggestion got here one week after Avenatti’s legal professionals stated their consumer ought to spend not more than six months behind bars plus one yr of house confinement.
U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe is scheduled to condemn Avenatti on June 30 in Manhattan.
Probation officers suggest eight years in prison for Avenatti, and prosecutors stated federal tips suggest greater than 11 years.
Lawyers for Avenatti didn’t instantly reply on Thursday to requests for remark.
Avenatti, 50, turned well-known in 2018 when he represented grownup movie actress Stormy Daniels in lawsuits in opposition to then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
He was convicted of threatening to publicly accuse Nike of secretly paying households of school basketball prospects except it paid him and one other lawyer as much as $25 million for a probe and his consumer, youth basketball coach Gary Franklin, $1.5 million.
Jurors additionally convicted Avenatti of defrauding Franklin by not telling him he would not settle and not using a probe.
Avenatti “betrayed his client and sought to enrich himself by weaponizing his public profile,” prosecutors stated. “This was an egregious abuse of trust.”
In letters to Gardephe, Nike maintained that Avenatti’s accusations have been false, whereas Franklin stated Avenatti’s actions “destroyed my reputation in my community.”
Avenatti’s legal professionals have stated their consumer has suffered sufficient throughout his “epic fall and public shaming,” together with three months in a Manhattan jail and mock by Trump and the previous president’s media supporters.
They additionally stated a recurrence was inconceivable as a result of Avenatti would by no means once more observe regulation.
Avenatti was convicted in February 2020.
He nonetheless faces two trials in California on costs he stole tens of millions of {dollars} from purchasers and dedicated tax and financial institution fraud, and one other trial in Manhattan for allegedly defrauding Daniels out of cash from a guide contract.
Avenatti has pleaded not responsible to all costs.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; enhancing by Jonathan Oatis)
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