FOLLOW US

Tue

August 4, 2026

Legal Industry February 14, 2020 3 mins read

GUILTY: Michael Avenatti has been found guilty on all counts in Nike extortion trial

Legal Industry ı By Catherine Davis

0 Comments

michael-avenatti

Michael Avenatti is guilty on all three counts he was facing, according to a decision by a jury in federal court in New York.

Prosecutors say the lawyer threatened to publicly accuse athletic apparel maker Nike of illicitly paying amateur basketball players unless the company paid him millions of dollars.

The government said Avenatti also betrayed his client, a youth basketball coach who made the allegations, by advocating for money for himself instead of the client.

Avenatti was charged with transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, attempted extortion and honest services wire fraud.

He still faces two additional trials for allegedly stealing Stormy Daniels' book advance and committing fraud in California. He is being held in jail for allegedly violating the terms of his bail in the California case.

A jury in federal court in New York reached a verdict Friday in the trial of Michael Avenatti.

Prosecutors say the lawyer threatened to publicly accuse athletic apparel maker Nike of illicitly paying amateur basketball players unless the company paid him millions of dollars.

The government said Avenatti also betrayed his client, a youth basketball coach who made the allegations, by advocating for money for himself instead of the client.

Avenatti was charged with transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort, attempted extortion and honest services wire fraud.

Gary Franklin, the youth basketball coach who Michael Avenatti represented, testified last week that he was bullied by Nike executives who forced him to make the illicit payments to top high school basketball players and their families. In 2018, the company ended its sponsorship of Franklin's program, the California Supreme.

Franklin said he wanted Avenatti to get Nike to renew his team's sponsorship and fire two Nike executives.

Avenatti was in "crushing debt" at the time and wanted to use Franklin's case to make money, prosecutors said. The high-powered attorney saw Franklin as a "meal ticket," they argued.

Nike lawyers who took the stand during the trial said Avenatti told them he would hold a press conference claiming the company illegally paid players.

In exchange for not going public, Avenatti told the lawyers in one meeting Nike would have to pay Franklin $1.5 million for any claims he had and immediately pay Avenatti and another attorney $12 million, and guarantee $15 to $25 million in payments for an internal investigation, prosecutors said.

Benjamin Homes, an associate attorney for Nike's outside law firm who took notes during several of the meetings with Avenatti, testified that it "evolved into really a shakedown."

Franklin testified he was shocked to find out Avenatti was planning a press conference.

Previous Article

Perpetrators of fraudulent online business education program to pay $17 million to settle FTC charges

Read More
225 Posts

Catherine Davis

Catherine Davis is a contributor to the USA Herald. She covers politics and reports on issues of the times.

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to join the discussion!

Don’t Miss It
America August 01, 2026
Mail Carrier Accused of Pocketing Stranger’s $2,600 Jackpot
By – Rihem Akkouche
America August 01, 2026
Westinghouse Electric Files for IPO
By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Kean University Hit With Class Claims Over Data Breach
By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Space-Eyes to Go Public in $638 Million SPAC Merger
By – Rihem Akkouche
Arizona January 11, 2025
Kelly Warner Law Firm Blames USA…

In what appears as a desperate attempt to defend multiple…

By – USA Herald
Arizona January 4, 2025
Aaron Kelly Law Firm Resorts To…

Attorney Aaron Kelly and his law partner Daniel Warner are…

By – Jeff Watterson
Arizona December 12, 2024
Arizona Bar Opens Investigation on Attorney…

USA Herald recently reported on a developing story involving Attorneys…

By – Paul O'Neal
America July 31, 2026
California, Arizona, Nevada would face Colorado…

The Colorado River has been running low for years, and…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Alimentation Couche-Tard Inks $8.6B Deal For…

Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. just made its boldest move yet, announcing…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Netflix sued for $105M over stolen…

An unreleased World War II spy film starring Nicolas Cage…

By – Rihem Akkouche
America July 31, 2026
Sainsbury to Sell Argos for £120m…

Sainsbury’s has finally reached the finish line on something it’s…

By – Rihem Akkouche
High Profile Court Cases July 31, 2026
Colin Gray Gets 15 Years After…

Colin Gray received a 15-year prison sentence Thursday, far below…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 31, 2026
Scouting America Jamboree Drops Diversity Spaces

The Scouting America diversity rollback has reached the organization’s National…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 31, 2026
Scouting America Jamboree Drops Diversity Spaces

The Scouting America diversity rollback has reached the organization’s National…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 30, 2026
Show Me the Money: Accuser in…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza is pushing Kick to…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Kohberger Gets New Taxpayer-Funded Lawyer as…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Kohberger has been appointed counsel for post-conviction…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Milwaukee Lawyer Gets 21 Years After…

INSIDE THIS REPORT — A Milwaukee jury convicted attorney Robert L.…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
AI-Assisted Pro Se Litigant Faces Off…

INSIDE THIS REPORT A pro se plaintiff using AI tools…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Insurer Moves to Block $10M Punitive-Damages…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Twin City Fire Insurance seeks a ruling…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Amish Community Murder: Ohio Man Pleads…

An Amish Community murder case which stunned Ohio has ended…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 30, 2026
E. Jean Carroll Case: Trump Asks…

President Donald Trump has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 29, 2026
Netflix Releases The Idaho Murders: College…

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare is a…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 28, 2026
Lindsey Graham Remembered by Trump as…

 WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump remembered Lindsey Graham as a…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 28, 2026
5 of the Best Free-to-Read Online…

Online Comic Books have changed the way readers discover superheroes,…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 27, 2026
Hiring Increase as U.S. Companies Recalibrate…

A surprising Hiring Increase is emerging at some of America’s…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 27, 2026
Hiring Increase as U.S. Companies Recalibrate…

A surprising Hiring Increase is emerging at some of America’s…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 26, 2026
Kacy Corso Pleads in the Stony…

Kacy Corso, 34, of East Setauket, pleaded guilty in July…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 26, 2026
Kaylee Hottle Dies at 18 After…

Kaylee Hottle, a rising deaf actress celebrated for her breakthrough…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 25, 2026
Human Trafficking Operation Nets 15 Arrests,…

SHELBY COUNTY, Ala. — A human trafficking operation in north…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 25, 2026
Lululemon Murder: Part II — Forensic…

Editor’s Note: This is Part II of an ongoing series…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 24, 2026
Lululemon Murder: Brutal Killing of Jayna…

More than 15 years after a young retail manager was…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 30, 2026
Insurer Moves to Block $10M Punitive-Damages…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Twin City Fire Insurance seeks a ruling…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Disney and James Cameron Move to…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Disney says Neytiri was modeled on Zoe…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Defense Lawyers Warned: Use AI or…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Defense lawyers are being urged to adopt…

By – Samuel Lopez
America July 30, 2026
Could Diddy Still Cooperate? Federal Law…

INSIDE THIS REPORT A federal prison sentence does not necessarily…

By – Samuel Lopez
Entertainment July 29, 2026
Children of Blood and Bone Author…

Paramount Pictures is promoting the Children of Blood and Bone…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 29, 2026
Grant Thornton To Buy CBIZ in…

In a move poised to redraw the map of the…

By – Rihem Akkouche
Breaking News July 29, 2026
Trump Ends Medicare Part D Subsidy,…

The Trump administration is ending a Medicare Part D subsidy…

By – Michallie Harrison
Health July 17, 2026
Taylor Farms Linked to Third Major…

Taco Bell became the public face of a massive Cyclospora…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 4, 2026
Beach Closures Expand Across Long Island…

Beach Closures were spread across parts of New York just…

By – Jackie Allen
Health July 2, 2026
The Hidden Science Behind Why Your…

For millions of people, the first conscious act of the…

By – Tyler Brooks
Health July 2, 2026
The High Cost of the Infinite…

A significant legal chapter is closing for one of the…

By – Tyler Brooks
Health July 2, 2026
Kentucky Medicaid Alert How The Upcoming…

A significant change is arriving for thousands of Kentucky residents…

By – Tyler Brooks
Sports July 31, 2026
FIFA World Cup Stake Sale Sparks…

The proposed FIFA World Cup stake sale has triggered a…

By – Michallie Harrison
America July 25, 2026
Adrien Broner Hit With Sexual Battery…

INSIDE THIS REPORT Havana Saint accuses Adrien Broner of sexual…

By – Samuel Lopez
Sports July 22, 2026
Why the Hungarian Grand Prix Never…

The lights go out and twenty-two Formula 1 cars explode…

By – Theresa Jardim
America July 21, 2026
Professional Boxer Killed in Texas Bicycle…

Hannah Rapp, a rising professional boxer who recently challenged for…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 20, 2026
Hannah Rapp Dies at 26 After…

 Hannah Rapp, a rising professional boxer who earned a shot…

By – Jackie Allen
America July 19, 2026
World Cup Thriller: England Outlasts France…

World Cup history gained another unforgettable chapter Saturday as England…

By – Jackie Allen

No posts found.

No posts found.

Signup for the USA Herald
exclusive Newsletter