Federal Grand Jury Indicts Michael Avenatti on 36 Counts, Which Includes 34 New Charges
Posted by Mary Chastain Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 12:00pm
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/...6-counts-which-includes-34-new-charges//#more
The new indictment alleges he stole millions from a mentally ill, physically disabled client.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti with 36 counts that include “fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes, embezzlement and other financial crimes.”
The DOJ wrote in its press release that Avenatti faces 10 counts of wire fraud, 19 tax-related charges, two counts of bank fraud, and four bankruptcy fraud charges, and embezzlement charges.
**This is a breaking story. I will add more information once officials release the indictment and speak to the press….
Avenatti already faces in California. In March, the Department of Justice charged Avenatti with federal bank fraud and wire fraud charges.
The new indictment has 36 charges, which means Avenatti faces 34 new charges. The DOJ provided a summary of these charges:
The most heartbreaking account comes from Client 1, who is mentally ill and “became a paraplegic as a result of the [Los Angeles] county violating his constitutional rights.” The DOJ wrote that LA county gave the man a $4 million settlement in January 2015, but Avenatti kept it from him to use “portions of the settlement to finance his coffee business or pay personal expenses.” They allege “Avenatti concealed the receipt of the settlement from Client 1 and instead gave him periodic ‘advances’ of no more than $1,900 and paid the rent for his assisted living facility, according to the indictment.”
If convicted, Avenatti faces “333 years in federal court plus an additional two-year mandatory consecutive sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge.” Officials scheduled his arraignment on April 29.
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[ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=27c-GO8B1RA"]36-Count Grand Jury Indictment Filed Against Attorney Michael Avenatti - YouTube[/ame]
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Previous Reporting
From The Los Angeles Times:
Yes, the indictment alleges that Avenatti stole money from a mentally ill, physically disabled person.
It looks like the new charges give more power to the way Nick Hanna, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, described Avenatti at a press conference in March. He called Avenatti “a corrupt lawyer who instead fights for his own selfish interests by misappropriating close to a million dollars that rightfully belonged to one of his clients.”
Avenatti spoke to CNBC:
Avenatti is out on $300,000 bail. He also faces charges in the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors allege Avenatti attempted “to extract more than $20M in payments from a publicly traded company by threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial & reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met.”
The charges include conspiracy to transmit interstate communications with intent to extort, conspiracy to commit extortion, and extortion.
The federal prosecutors wrote in documents that Avenatti and a client claimed “they had evidence that Nike had funneled money to recruits in exchange for their commitments to college teams sponsored by Nike and that they would release them in order to damage Nike’s reputation and market capitalization unless Nike paid them between $15 and $25 million.” The document stated the alleged crime took place in March.
Posted by Mary Chastain Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 12:00pm
https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/...6-counts-which-includes-34-new-charges//#more
The new indictment alleges he stole millions from a mentally ill, physically disabled client.
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles indicted celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti with 36 counts that include “fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes, embezzlement and other financial crimes.”
The DOJ wrote in its press release that Avenatti faces 10 counts of wire fraud, 19 tax-related charges, two counts of bank fraud, and four bankruptcy fraud charges, and embezzlement charges.
**This is a breaking story. I will add more information once officials release the indictment and speak to the press….
Avenatti already faces in California. In March, the Department of Justice charged Avenatti with federal bank fraud and wire fraud charges.
The new indictment has 36 charges, which means Avenatti faces 34 new charges. The DOJ provided a summary of these charges:
The most heartbreaking account comes from Client 1, who is mentally ill and “became a paraplegic as a result of the [Los Angeles] county violating his constitutional rights.” The DOJ wrote that LA county gave the man a $4 million settlement in January 2015, but Avenatti kept it from him to use “portions of the settlement to finance his coffee business or pay personal expenses.” They allege “Avenatti concealed the receipt of the settlement from Client 1 and instead gave him periodic ‘advances’ of no more than $1,900 and paid the rent for his assisted living facility, according to the indictment.”
If convicted, Avenatti faces “333 years in federal court plus an additional two-year mandatory consecutive sentence for the aggravated identity theft charge.” Officials scheduled his arraignment on April 29.
A
[ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=27c-GO8B1RA"]36-Count Grand Jury Indictment Filed Against Attorney Michael Avenatti - YouTube[/ame]
A
Previous Reporting
From The Los Angeles Times:
Yes, the indictment alleges that Avenatti stole money from a mentally ill, physically disabled person.
It looks like the new charges give more power to the way Nick Hanna, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, described Avenatti at a press conference in March. He called Avenatti “a corrupt lawyer who instead fights for his own selfish interests by misappropriating close to a million dollars that rightfully belonged to one of his clients.”
Avenatti spoke to CNBC:
Avenatti is out on $300,000 bail. He also faces charges in the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors allege Avenatti attempted “to extract more than $20M in payments from a publicly traded company by threatening to use his ability to garner publicity to inflict substantial financial & reputational harm on the company if his demands were not met.”
The charges include conspiracy to transmit interstate communications with intent to extort, conspiracy to commit extortion, and extortion.
The federal prosecutors wrote in documents that Avenatti and a client claimed “they had evidence that Nike had funneled money to recruits in exchange for their commitments to college teams sponsored by Nike and that they would release them in order to damage Nike’s reputation and market capitalization unless Nike paid them between $15 and $25 million.” The document stated the alleged crime took place in March.
