Michael Avenatti Denies Nike Extortion, Accuses Company of Coverup
Lawyer was arrested Monday.
Reuters / Carlo Allegri
High-profile lawyer Michael Avenatti has denied an allegation that he tried to extort Nike for as much as $25 million and accused the company of committing a crime and a coverup that he can’t yet reveal. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said Monday that Stormy Daniels’ former attorney had “used legal and extortionate threats with the purpose of obtaining millions of dollars in payments for himself,” with the interactions reportedly being captured on video. Avenatti denied the charges early Tuesday, tweeting: “I want to thank all of my supporters for your kind words and support today. It means a lot to me. I am anxious for people to see what really happened. We never attempted to extort Nike & when the evidence is disclosed, the public will learn the truth about Nike’s crime & coverup.” Monday morning, before he was arrested, Avenatti tweeted that he was planning a Tuesday press conference “to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by Nike.”
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