Avenatti Allegedly Googled “Insider Trading” Before Attempts to Extort Nike
Potential jurors booted from pool for trash talking Avenatti
Things keep getting worse for Michael Avenatti, the fame lusting porn lawyer who was once the Democrat party’s greatest hope.
A motion letter filed in New York’s Southern District Court indicated Avenatti Googled “Nike put options” and “insider trading” in the weeks prior to alleged attempts to extort Nike, Inc. for millions of dollars.
From the motion letter (embedded at bottom of the post):
More from Law and Crime:
The SDNY says that Avenatti contacted Nike representatives and demanded payments in excess of $23 million in return for a promise that he would cancel a planned press conference calling out the company over allegedly untoward practices viz. college athletes. The athletics apparel giant is widely believed to have improperly funneled money to several college basketball players in violation of NCAA rules. Avenatti seems to have come by such knowledge through his own representation of youth basketball coach Gary Franklin.
…Only time will tell, however, if U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe buys the defense or the prosecution’s argument as to whether the alleged search history is more informative than prejudicial and whether or not there was ample notice given.
The defense also alleged a fair amount of hypocrisy on the SDNY’s part in the motion to exclude.
“Ironically, the government has urged that the court preclude the defense from introducing certain search terms and results…in its case based on [the federal rules]…presumably, [the government] would apply the same reasoning to these search terms,” Srebnick noted.
Meanwhile, a whole swath of potential jurors was booted from the potential jury pool for trash talking Avenatti, per the New York Post:
Dozens of jurors were tossed Monday from their chance to serve as jurors in the impending Nike extortion trial of Michael Avenatti — with many blasting the controversial lawyer as a “scumbag” and a liar.
“Michael Avenatti is a notorious scumbag who is willing to do anything, including lie and cheat in order to enrich himself and gain public attention,” one potential panelist wrote. “He should already be in prison.”
“He started to believe his own hype and thought he was above the law,” wrote another.
Manhattan federal court judge Paul Gardephe tossed both people, whose names were kept anonymous.
…Avenatti is accused of attempting to shake down the sportswear giant by threatening to make allegations of company corruption public if ir didn’t pay him upwards of $20 million to conduct his own investigation.
The 48-year-old argues he was within his rights while representing a client to make the statements prosecutors now characterize as extortion.
Opening arguments in the case could begin as early as Tuesday.
Motion letter here:
Motion Letter SDNY Avenatti by Legal Insurrection on Scribd
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Comments
Avenatti Allegedly Googled “Insider Trading” Before Attempts to Extort Nike
I’m thinking maybe it would be more useful to him to google “How to maintain your virginity in prison”.
Prison rape jokes are uncalled for. You wouldn’t joke about women being raped, would you? So why joke about men being victimized.
And don’t say prisoners deserve it. The Constitution outlaws cruel and unusual punishment. The fact of the matter is most victims of prison rape are young white men. Getting HIV is harsh punishment for burglary or selling drugs.
Avenetti is why prison jokes were invented.
Whatever Aventti gets will be less than he deserves. He personifies slime.
When one of your relatives or kids gets busted on some trumped-up BS charge and ends up in jail, let’s hear your snide remarks abut prison rape. A real scream, huh? Har har har.
I think a lot of jurors have gotten smart and know how to get themselves deselected from what might be a long public trial.
As far as the search history – Intent is an important part of the crime of extortion, the search history helps to establish intent, an element of the crime. I think the Judge allows it to stay in.
Lawyers do a lot of internet searches as preliminary research. (I hope we then do the legal research as well!) Much as I dislike Creepy Porn Lawyer, I see nothing incriminating about this search, and it is most likely far more prejudicial than probative.
Dozens of jurors were tossed Monday from their chance to serve as jurors
“Chance to serve.” Wow. Like missing a chance to be in the middle of a train wreck. Who would want to miss that?
I wonder if the Low on CNN like Humpty Dumpty Stelter still think this is the DNC best hope for 2020.
I am torn between my distaste for Nike and my utter revulsion for “Creepy Porn Lawyer Avenatti. I am guessing Tucker Carlson will not be one of the jurors either.
Pity both can’t lose.
Speaking of criminal scum:
Harvard professor charged for lying about $1.5M Chinese research scheme:
Charles Lieber, the chairman of Harvard University’s chemistry department was charged Tuesday with lying to the US Defense Department about his dealings with Chinese research agencies while receiving federal research funds.
https://nypost.com/2020/01/28/harvard-professor-charged-for-lying-about-1-5m-chinese-research-scheme/
So are the claims against Lieber and the others in the article being made by the “good” part of the FBI? How would we know?
Has joy behar brought him a cake with a file in it?
No. but she brought him a gun he then proceeded to whittle into the shape of a bar of soap.
Hilarious. Reminds me of that scene in “Office Space” where they’re looking up “money laundering” in the Dictionary.
“Lock him up!”
“Lock him up!”