Extortion
Avenatti Suspended
The California State Bar Court on Friday placed Michael Avenatti on interim suspension based on his felony convictions of attempted extortion of sportswear company Nike for millions of dollars.
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Brother of Bezos’ Girlfriend Claims National Enquirer Defamed Him
The brother of Jeff Bezos’ girlfriend sued the National Enquirer and its parent company Monday alleging the company’s dredging up of dirt on the world’s richest man – and its attempt to cover up the scheme – defamed him and damaged his family.
Read moreRetaliation
Jesse Leon sued Los Angeles and City Councilman José Huizar in superior court, claiming Huizar fired him to retaliate for reporting his concerns that Huizar “intended to extort commercial cannabis operators seeking to do business within his council district” by demanding “political donations, ‘consulting fees’ funneled to the councilmember’s friends, and cash payments made directly to Huizar.”
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Michael Avenatti Found Guilty of Extorting Nike
The first of three criminal trials for celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has ended with a New York jury convicting him of extorting Nike for millions of dollars at the threat of exposing a corruption scandal.
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‘This Is What Extortion Looks Like,’ Feds Tell Avenatti Jury
Before uttering a word of his closing arguments, a federal prosecutor let embattled celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti’s own voice deliver the case against him.
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Coach Who Retained Avenatti Calls Demands Overblown
As the coach who guided basketball hotshot Deandre Ayton to become the NBA’s No. 1 draft pick in 2018, Gary Franklin probably didn’t think he’d become a star himself — a star witness, that is.
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Consultant Testifies Against Avenatti in Nike Extortion Trial
A California consultant took the witness stand in Michael Avenatti’s New York trial Monday, testifying that the celebrity attorney never revealed his alleged extortion scheme to clients who were angered by what they perceived as misconduct at Nike.
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Avenatti Details Nike Corruption at Start of Extortion Trial
Kicking off a trial where Michael Avenatti is charged with attempting to extort Nike, the embattled lawyer’s defense team told the jury Monday that his client fought to correct the athleticwear company’s rampant corruption.
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Stormy, Kaepernick and Trump, Oh My! Big Names Abound in Avenatti Trial
From his famous former clients to his adversaries, Michael Avenatti runs in some star-studded circles. Which of those A-list names can feature when the embattled lawyer begins trial next week took focus Wednesday at a marathon four-hour hearing.
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UN Ties Bezos Phone Hack to Saudi Crown Prince
Months after billionaire Jeff Bezos stared down would-be extortion, U.N. investigators on Wednesday tied the hack of Bezos’ phone to The Washington Post’s connections with slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
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Avenatti to Remain in SoCal Jail Pending Trial in NY Extortion Case
A federal judge in California ordered embattled attorney Michael Avenatti held without bail on bank and wire fraud charges until he can be transported to New York next week to stand trial on extortion charges there.
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Prosecutors: Deeply-in-Debt Michael Avenatti Sought Payday
Prosecutors say California attorney Michael Avenatti was over $15 million in debt when he tried to extort up to $25 million from Nike, while Avenatti’s lawyers say the money he legally requested to conduct an internal probe of the sportswear giant was a bargain.
Read moreEnd of the Road for Ankle-Monitoring Extortion Case
A private-ankle monitoring company did not extort daily fees from inmates by threatening them with re-arrest for nonpayment, a federal judge ruled Friday.
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Ex-Cop Gets 10 Years for Forcing Teens to Run Naked
A former South Florida policeman was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for making two teenagers run down a desolate street naked after pulling them over for a traffic violation.
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Federal Judge Mulls Over Ankle-Monitoring Extortion Case
A federal judge will soon decide whether a whittled-down lawsuit over exorbitant ankle-monitoring fees in Alameda County will go to trial early next year.
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Playboy Model Alleging Trump Affair Takes On Fox
A former Playboy model who says she had a 10-month affair with President Trump in 2006 brought a defamation suit Thursday, saying Fox News falsely accused her of trying to extort Trump to keep quiet.
Read moreProsecutors Drop Two Charges Against Avenatti, Add Another
A superseding indictment unsealed against celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti charges him with attempting to extort tens of millions of dollars from Nike but drops conspiracy charges in the case.
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Dershowitz Duels on Defamation With Lawyer for Epstein Accusers
Alan Dershowitz brought counterclaims Thursday against the prominent lawyer for two of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers before the ink on the lawyer’s defamation suit was even dry.
Read moreAvenatti Promises Surprises in Store for NY Extortion Trial
In a bid to delay Michael Avenatti’s extortion trial, attorneys told a federal judge Thursday that their subpoenas of Nike officials is sure to draw out proceedings through the fall.
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