Former hotshot lawyer and foe of President Donald J. Trump is set for back-to-back arraignments Tuesday in a Manhattan federal court, according to The New York Post.
“Avenatti’s first scheduled appearance involves charges that he tried to shake down athletic gear giant Nike for $20 million,” The Post said. “He is then set to be arraigned before a different judge for allegedly stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his former client Stormy Daniels, a porn star who allegedly had an affair with President Trump.”
Avenatti stands accused of attempting to bilk Nike out of the $20 million after allegedly accusing the company of improperly paying amateur athletes, and then threatening to expose them unless they hired him as their attorney.
As for his most infamous client, he stands accused of stealing Daniels’ book advance. Daniels wrote a salacious account of an alleged affair with Trump after her attorney spent months on the cable news circuit barking at the President.
Separately, the attorney has been charged with wire and bank fraud after allegedly misrepresenting his assets in order to obtain a loan. He has also been charged with 36 other crimes ranging from, fraud, embezzlement, and failure to pay taxes, to perjury.
Avenatti maintains his innocence.
“I want to face a jury in both New York cases as soon as reasonably possible, and when I do, I will be exonerated,” he told The Post.
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