Los Angeles attorney Michael Avenatti, a high-profile critic of the White House who briefly considered running for president in 2020, was accused Monday of stealing from a client, using false tax returns to secure loans and redirecting cash deposits to avoid IRS liens. In a 12-page complaint with more than 150 pages of exhibits, federal prosecutors in Southern California charged the 48-year-old attorney with wire fraud and bank fraud, while prosecutors in New York accused Avenatti in a separate complaint of trying to squeeze Nike out of more than $20 million to suppress details about the shoe company's alleged misconduct....
According to the complaint filed in the Central District of California, Attorney Michael Avenatti allegedly misappropriated his client’s settlement money and used it to pay expenses for his coffee business, among other crimes.
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