Avenatti was convicted in February 2020 of trying to extort more than $20 million from the apparel giant Nike, but his sentencing was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Avenatti’s conduct was outrageous,” the judge said in imposing the sentence. “He hijacked his client’s claims and he used those claims to further his own agenda, which was to extort millions of dollars from Nike for himself.”Avenatti asked for leniency, telling the judge: “I betrayed my own values, my friends, my family and myself. I betrayed my profession. I became driven by the things that don’t matter in life.”

Source: New York Times July 08, 2021 19:07 UTC