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Michael Avenatti (2018 in New York)
Photo: Julio Cortez / AP
The US attorney Michael Avenatti has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for attempting to blackmail the sporting goods manufacturer Nike.
A New York judge sentenced the 50-year-old to a 30-month jail sentence on Thursday.
In February 2020, Avenatti was found guilty of blackmailing Nike and fraud against a client.
According to the indictment, he had demanded around $ 20 million from the sports giant and threatened to publicize otherwise damaging information about Nike in a scandal involving college basketball players.
He betrayed a client who made allegations against Nike, but knew nothing of Avenatti's actions.
As Avenatti came to be known
Avenatti had become known beyond the borders of the USA as the lawyer for the porn actress Stormy Daniels.
The actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims to have had sex with married Donald Trump in 2006.
Shortly before the 2016 US presidential election, she received $ 130,000 under a non-disclosure agreement.
She later wanted to have this agreement annulled in court; Avenatti represented her in the case.
The legal dispute with the president has meanwhile degenerated into a publicly conducted mud fight.
The lawyer became a real star as a Trump critic, and in the meantime he was even said to have ambitions for a presidential candidacy.
He also worked as a victim attorney on the abuse allegations against R&B singer R. Kelly.
In March 2019, Stormy Daniels ended the collaboration with Avenatti.
A short time later, he was arrested on the Nike allegations.
It's not the only scandal the lawyer is involved in: He has been charged with theft, bank fraud and tax evasion in Los Angeles.
Avenatti reportedly stole millions of dollars from its customers.
In addition, allegations of document falsification were made in New York.
The attorney is said to have forged documents to get at $ 300,000, which were originally intended as a book advance payment for Stormy Daniels.
aar / AFP
