U.S.

Michael Avenatti Pleads Not Guilty In Wire, Tax And Bank Fraud Case

Avenatti pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges, including embezzling millions of dollars from clients and ​failing to pay millions in taxes.

Michael Avenatti Pleads Not Guilty In Wire, Tax And Bank Fraud Case
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Article by Ahmed Jawadi
SMS
April 29, 2019

Attorney Michael Avenatti pleaded not guilty to 36 criminal counts linked to alleged wire, tax and bank fraud on Monday.

Avenatti was indicted earlier this month on allegations of embezzling millions of dollars from five of his clients, failing to file income tax returns, failing to pay millions in taxes, submitting fraudulent loan applications and concealing assets from a bankruptcy court. The lawyer, who is probably best known for representing Stormy Daniels in a high-profile legal battle against President Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Avenatti is also facing a separate case in which he's accused of attempting to extort $20 million from Nike.

The fraud trial is scheduled to begin on June 25. If convicted on all charges, Avenatti could face a maximum of 335 years in federal prison.