Stormy Daniels claims to have discovered that her former lawyer, Michael Avenatti, was a “monster” while representing her against President Donald Trump and admitted that he celebrated his extortion conviction last week.
In an interview with Inside Edition, Daniels opened up the moment she learned about the Avenatti case.
Avenatti was sentenced in New York on Friday for honest service fraud, extortion and interstate communications with the intention of extorting and faces up to 42 years in prison
“My initial reaction was” high five, yes! “He said.” So honestly, a couple of days later, I felt really sad because deep down some parts of me didn’t want to believe all those terrible things about him. “
“I definitely understood what the monster was,” Daniels told Inside Edition.
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Stormy Daniels says he feels sad about Michael Avenatti’s extortion conviction despite calling him a “monster”
“My initial reaction was” high five, yes! “, Said Daniels (pictured with Avenatti).” So honestly, a couple of days later, I felt really sad because deep down some parts of me didn’t want to believe all those terrible things about him “
Avenatti is also accused of stealing $ 300,000 from Daniels and faces 20 years if convicted.
“There’s not even that much money in the grand scheme of things,” Daniels told Inside Edition.
“But it’s more a betrayal than a penny. Someone I trusted looked me in the face every single day for a year and lied to me.”
On Friday, following Avenatti’s belief, Daniels took Instagram to share his initial thoughts.
“Unfortunately, what Michael Avenatti did to me was just the tip of the iceberg of deception,” he wrote.
‘It doesn’t surprise me that his dishonesty has been revealed on a large scale.
‘His arrogant, fraudulent and overly aggressive behavior has become so pervasive that the jury has found its true character.
“Although clearly a fair result, I feel sad for his children and foolish for believing his lies for so long.”
On Friday, following the conviction of Avenatti, Daniels (she left with Avenatti in 2018 and 2019) brought on Instagram to share her initial thoughts
“Unfortunately, what Michael Avenatti did to me was just the tip of the iceberg of deception,” wrote Daniels. ‘I am not surprised that his dishonesty has been revealed on a large scale’
Avenatti defense attorney Howard Srebnick (second from right) points to his client during the Manhattan federal court trial on January 29
In addition to the Nike case for which he was convicted on Friday, Avenatti has yet to face court dates for two other cases, one of which leads to an alleged theft of Daniels.
Daniels claims to have had an adventure with Trump over a decade ago and that she was later paid by the current president for keeping quiet about what happened to Instagram.
Avenatti represented her in a lawsuit to try to break a confidentiality agreement so that she could talk about her alleged relationship with Trump before she ran for president.
But he later claimed that he deceived her for the proceeds of the book worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Avenatti became a cable news equipment in 2018 and 2019 when reporters solicited him for information on Daniels and his claims of a trial with Trump.
At the height of his notoriety, Avenatti used the Twitter and TV appearances to incessantly criticize Trump and even considered running for president.
Many of his appearances occurred while representing Daniels and after the arrest of Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Cohen is serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and violating campaign finances in connection with the silent payments to Daniels and another woman who has claimed a relationship with Trump.
His downfall, however, was swift.
Avenatti, the fighting lawyer who gained fame by representing Daniels, was convicted on Friday by a federal jury for attempting to extort the sports giant Nike.
The verdict was returned to Manhattan following a three-week trial in which prosecutors said that Avenatti threatened to use its access to the media to damage Nike’s reputation and share price unless the company paid him up to $ 25 million.
Sentences for attempted extortion and fraud against honest services result in a potential combined sentence of 42 years in prison.
Avenatti glared at the jurors as the verdict was announced, but said nothing.
Subsequently, he shook hands with his lawyers and told them “great job” before being taken back to the cell where he has been detained since a judge found out he had violated his bail terms.
His attorney, Scott Srebnick, said he would appeal the sentence, but otherwise declined to comment. A judge sentenced in June.
The jury agreed with prosecutors who claimed that Avenatti abused a client’s information “in an attempt to extort tens of millions of dollars” from Nike, said American attorney Geoffrey S. Berman in a written note.
Avenatti leaves the court on October 8, 2019 in New York City. On Friday he was convicted of attempting to extort $ 25 million from Nike
Following his bond release last March, Avenatti arrived on Twitter and continued with his threat of exposing Nike. In a series of tweets, the lawyer named both DeAndre Ayton (right) and Bol Bol (left) as examples of players who allegedly received improper funds from Nike
“While the defendant may have attempted to hide behind legal terms, jacket and tie, the jury clearly saw the defendant’s plan for what it was: an old shakedown,” he said.
At the trial, Nike’s attorneys used words like “shakedown” and “stickup” to describe what they felt they were subject to when Avenatti threatened to hold a press conference to confuse Nike’s name by linking the company to a basketball scandal. university.
After Avenatti’s belief, Donald Trump Jr. said in a tweet: “I can’t wait for Michael’s witty twitter to respond to the jury that has just found him guilty in all respects.
“Although I’ve been told it’s still doing well among the Democratic primary contenders.”
The president’s son also sent a tweet with fragments of some Avanatti television appearances and suggested to the media that they love Avenatti.
Avenatti was arrested as he was about to meet with Nike attorneys last March to solicit his requests for millions of dollars to conduct an internal investigation into the Beaverton, Oregon-based clothing manufacturer.
Evidence at the trial showed that Avenatti owed at least $ 11 million at the time and had been evicted from his law firms for non-payment of the rent which amounted to about $ 50,000 a month.
Avenatti claimed to be taking an aggressive stance at the request of his client Gary Franklin, who ran a youth basketball league in Los Angeles and was angry that Nike had concluded a ten-year sponsorship that provided $ 72,000 per year and free equipment.
He also searched $ 1.5 million for Franklin.
Franklin testified that two Nike executives forced him to pay money to the mother of an elite high school basketball player and to transfer payments to other players’ managers while they were studying paperwork to hide the purpose of the funds.
Franklin said he felt cheated by Avenatti after learning that the lawyer was asking for millions of dollars for himself and another lawyer.
He also said he would not approve of Avenatti by threatening to smear Nike’s name, as he wanted to repair his relationship with the company.
“Scared, upset, confused” was the way Franklin said he had reacted to Avenatti by telling him that he would “make public” what he knew about Nike executives.
As Franklin testified, Avenatti showed his displeasure.
He laughed, grimaced, looked up at the sky, smiled and shook his head in response to the testimony of his former client.
Avenatti did not testify, but his lawyers claimed to follow the wishes of Franklin and a show manager who advised him to be aggressive to force Nike to fire corrupt executives and set his culture.
In addition to the extortion process, Avenatti also faces an April trial in New York City on charges of having cheated Daniels on the proceeds from the book and a May trial in Los Angeles on charges of cheating customers and millions of dollars more.
The judge who presided over the proceeds from the book proceeds died this month.
The judge just assigned to the case has scheduled a conference for February 25th.
He will then go to trial in Los Angeles in May in the Department of Justice and in the case of the IRS, where he is accused of defrauding clients and millions of dollars more.
Avenatti remains detained without bail.
Last month, the Los Angeles federal prosecutor managed to lock him up after claiming he had violated his $ 300,000 bail by illegally moving money after his arrest.
Following his bond release last March, Avenatti arrived on Twitter and continued with his threat to expose Nike.
In a series of tweets, the lawyer named DeAndre Ayton and Bol Bol as examples of players who allegedly received improper funds from Nike.
Ayton played only one season at the University of Arizona before becoming the first pick in the 2018 draft, while Bol Bol is the son of the great Manute Bol from the NBA 7ft 7in, who passed away in 2010.
Avenatti claimed that Bol Bol “and its managers” took “huge sums” to play at the University of Oregon, which is a Nike sponsored school.
Avenatti said he had proof that Nike was illegally paying players to sign with certain schools when they were in high school.
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