California attorney Michael Avenatti, known for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump, was more than $15 million in debt when he allegedly tried to extort as much as $25 million from Nike Inc <NKE.N>, U.S. prosecutors claimed.
“Specifically, the Government presently estimates that the defendant’s debts at that time were, conservatively, in excess of $15 million,” prosecutors said in a filing late on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
In a statement to Reuters late on Wednesday, Avenatti denied those claims and dismissed them as “bogus”.
“Any claim that I was $15 million in debt is completely bogus, ludicrous and absurd. I can’t wait for the trial in this case, at which point the TRUTH and FACTS will come out and I will be fully exonerated,” Avenatti said in an emailed statement.
Last week, Avenatti, 48, pleaded not guilty to an indictment accusing him of trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike by threatening to go public with claims the company made improper payments to athletes. – READ MORE