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So, the Michael Avenatti run for POTUS is over


Gil Bang

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Wow, he's a total shitbag on both coasts!  Guess he just ignored flyover country (although he did make a brief criminal stop in Mississippi).  Bad strategy for your presidential run, Mike.

Maybe he'll win enough electoral votes in pound-me-in-the-ass Federal prison to be Prom Queen and never be able to fart again.   Hope so.

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Wait.....it turns out that Avenatti is a less-than-savory character?  Huh.  Except for the porn-star lawyer grandstanding bankrupt bullsitter thing, he seemed so genuine and pure.

Whatever happens to us -- and I maintain that it will end up being nothing good -- this is the golden age of comedy.  Folks don't even need to make any real effort -- the easter eggs are just laying there on the ground in plain sight.  Pick 'em up, get your laughs, and pick up the next few which have surely plopped out of someone's ass in the previous 15 minutes.

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As a non lawyer. Where is the line on extortion? Seems like that would be a pretty run of the mill type of conjecture from a lawyer? Threatening PR, financial and legal trouble if there is not a settlement? Not defending Avenatti, dude seems like a grade A grifter, but genuinely curious on when lawyer tough talk turns to extortion. 

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1 minute ago, Lagunamadre said:

As a non lawyer. Where is the line on extortion? Seems like that would be a pretty run of the mill type of conjecture from a lawyer? Threatening PR, financial and legal trouble if there is not a settlement? Not defending Avenatti, dude seems like a grade A grifter, but genuinely curious on when lawyer tough talk turns to extortion. 

First, I think a lawyer has to have a client with a specific claim before he can start jawboning.  Second, the amount "extorted" has to be connected to the claim, not "we're gonna go to the press with this," but "when we file suit and take it to the press." 

Threatening to reveal disparaging information unless paid is classic extortion.  If the disparaging information is revealed in connection with the pursuing of a claim, that's a different deal.

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25 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

Maybe he'll win enough electoral votes in pound-me-in-the-ass Federal prison to be Prom Queen and never be able to fart again.   Hope so.

I mean if you want to be technically correct, he can never stop farting again.  

#SBD

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2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

First, I think a lawyer has to have a client with a specific claim before he can start jawboning.  Second, the amount "extorted" has to be connected to the claim, not "we're gonna go to the press with this," but "when we file suit and take it to the press." 

Threatening to reveal disparaging information unless paid is classic extortion.  If the disparaging information is revealed in connection with the pursuing of a claim, that's a different deal.

Avenatti and Cohen must have slept through that lecture.  

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1 minute ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Avenatti and Cohen must have slept through that lecture.  

Well, AFAIK, Cohen kind of engaged in reverse extortion:  hey, you have disparaging information, we'll pay you not to reveal it.  And that isn't actually illegal.

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14 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, AFAIK, Cohen kind of engaged in reverse extortion:  hey, you have disparaging information, we'll pay you not to reveal it.  And that isn't actually illegal.

Unless, of course, it's done in connection to a political campaign and not disclosed in financial filings. 

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16 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

Also, and I admittedly just skimmed the accusations so this might not be right, but was he also demanding that he (not his client) get paid a $12,000,000 retainer and minimum of $15,000,000 in fees for some kind of “internal investigation” in which he would help sweep it under the rug (for the right price)?  Whatever it was, it sounded like him enriching himself wholly unrelated to getting damages for a client with a claim.

The wire fraud and fake tax returns to get a loan are just blatant.  He’s going to be doing significant prison time.

Exactly.  The other lawyers posting above should go read the complaint.  It's hilarious.   It couldn't have been more obvious he was being set up but he was blinded by the $$$ he thought Nike was about to pay.

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17 minutes ago, Skipper said:

Exactly.  The other lawyers posting above should go read the complaint.  It's hilarious.   It couldn't have been more obvious he was being set up but he was blinded by the $$$ he thought Nike was about to pay.

And if you look at his bankruptcy thing, it was all about stiffing one of his partners over a big fee in a big case the guy brought in and tried to settlement or verdict.  Now, sometimes those things amongst lawyers can get unduly shitty and polarizing, but it looked really really fucking bad for our boy Avenatti.  His firm also owed back taxes and he was in a compromise agreement with the IRS that he failed to keep up with.  The clear implication being that his spending was so out of control that he couldn't pay his bills, including fairly compensating a partner or paying the IRS.

Now it's all becoming clear.

I called this guy a piece of shit from the get-go (pats self on back).

Edited by TwiceHorn
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Lulz at that complaint.  Paragraph 12(c).  Nike says "is there any way we can just pay the $1.5MM to settle just your client's legal claim without paying you all the additional side benefits, Michael?" on the recorded line.

https://www.axios.com/michael-avenatti-extortion-charges-12f95667-b1fe-4c43-92ae-1d94cd258e3a.html

 Hat tip to PopeHat:  Nike's lawyers are doing everything just short of saying COULD YOU SPEAK MORE CLEARLY INTO THE FLOWER ON MY LAPEL.

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14 minutes ago, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

Lulz at that complaint.  Paragraph 12(c).  Nike says "is there any way we can just pay the $1.5MM to settle just your client's legal claim without paying you all the additional side benefits, Michael?" on the recorded line.

https://www.axios.com/michael-avenatti-extortion-charges-12f95667-b1fe-4c43-92ae-1d94cd258e3a.html

 Hat tip to PopeHat:  Nike's lawyers are doing everything just short of saying COULD YOU SPEAK MORE CLEARLY INTO THE FLOWER ON MY LAPEL.

Oh, damn, yes.  So very specifically decoupled the potential lawsuit settlement from the extortionate payment to Avenatti.  He's got very little wiggle room.  The $12M probably corresponds to what he needed to pay out of bankruptcy, the IRS and a couple of other things.

I wonder why they didn't indict CC-1?  Definitely in on it all the way.

 

Also note that he's charged with "Conspiracy Against the United States, 18 USC 371."  For perspective, that's not some glorious charge tantamount to treason, it's a shitty catch-all that gets thrown into just about any federal indictment that involves a potential conspiracy.

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1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, AFAIK, Cohen kind of engaged in reverse extortion:  hey, you have disparaging information, we'll pay you not to reveal it.  And that isn't actually illegal.

I’m talking about him admitting to Congress he threatened people 500x plus on Trump’s behalf...not the buy and kill strategy they employed with David Pecker.  

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10 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Oh, damn, yes.  So very specifically decoupled the potential lawsuit settlement from the extortionate payment to Avenatti.  He's got very little wiggle room.  The $12M probably corresponds to what he needed to pay out of bankruptcy, the IRS and a couple of other things.

I wonder why they didn't indict CC-1?  Definitely in on it all the way.

 

Also note that he's charged with "Conspiracy Against the United States, 18 USC 371."  For perspective, that's not some glorious charge tantamount to treason, it's a shitty catch-all that gets thrown into just about any federal indictment that involves a potential conspiracy.

"Mr. Avenatti, bail will be set at $XXmm, you will surrender your passport, and be remanded to Pole Smoke Prison where you will await trial."  ~gavel

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28 minutes ago, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

Lulz at that complaint.  Paragraph 12(c).  Nike says "is there any way we can just pay the $1.5MM to settle just your client's legal claim without paying you all the additional side benefits, Michael?" on the recorded line.

https://www.axios.com/michael-avenatti-extortion-charges-12f95667-b1fe-4c43-92ae-1d94cd258e3a.html

 Hat tip to PopeHat:  Nike's lawyers are doing everything just short of saying COULD YOU SPEAK MORE CLEARLY INTO THE FLOWER ON MY LAPEL.

ahahahaha holy shit

 

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14 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Oh, damn, yes.  So very specifically decoupled the potential lawsuit settlement from the extortionate payment to Avenatti.  He's got very little wiggle room.  The $12M probably corresponds to what he needed to pay out of bankruptcy, the IRS and a couple of other things.

I wonder why they didn't indict CC-1?  Definitely in on it all the way.

 

Also note that he's charged with "Conspiracy Against the United States, 18 USC 371."  For perspective, that's not some glorious charge tantamount to treason, it's a shitty catch-all that gets thrown into just about any federal indictment that involves a potential conspiracy.

CC-1 looks like he was deferring to Avanetti the whole time.  A lot of "I'll ask Avanetti," "I'll try to get a call with you to talk to Avanetti about that" sort of stuff.  Still an active part of the conspiracy, but probably thought of as being a little taken along for the ride and not worth the prosecutional effort.

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40 minutes ago, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

Lulz at that complaint.  Paragraph 12(c).  Nike says "is there any way we can just pay the $1.5MM to settle just your client's legal claim without paying you all the additional side benefits, Michael?" on the recorded line.

https://www.axios.com/michael-avenatti-extortion-charges-12f95667-b1fe-4c43-92ae-1d94cd258e3a.html

 Hat tip to PopeHat:  Nike's lawyers are doing everything just short of saying COULD YOU SPEAK MORE CLEARLY INTO THE FLOWER ON MY LAPEL.

I don't care who you are, that's just funny.  Well, I mean, Avenatti probably isn't laughing.....but EVERYONE else is.

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* * * TRANSCRIPT MAR212019 ROUGH * * *

AY: MISTER AVENATTI, WE CAN PAY YOUR CLIENT'S ONE POINT FIVE MILLION DOLLARS BUT WE ARE NOT SURE ABOUT THE TWELVE MILLION TO YOU.  CAN'T WE JUST DO YOUR CLIENT?

MA: ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?  THESE TWO THINGS GO TOGETHER AND THAT'S IT.

AY: OK.  IT SURE DOES SOUND LIKE WE HAVE A BAD CONNECTION HERE.  I AM IN NEW YORK.  ARE YOU INTERSTATE RIGHT NOW?

MA:  WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT.  OF COURSE I'M IN A DIFFERENT STATE.

AY: I THOUGHT SO.  NO NEED TO RAISE YOUR VOICE SO MUCH SIR.  YOUR HARSH TONE AND ANGER MAKES IT SOUND LIKE YOU HAVE MALICE AFORETHOUGHT, A STATE OF MIND YOU HAVE HAD THROUGHOUT THIS BUSINESS DEALING, WHILE HAVING CORRUPT INTENT.  COULD YOU CONFIRM THAT?

MA: YES.  OF COURSE.  I DELIBERATED ON THIS PLAN QUITE A BIT AND AM DOING THIS ALL VERY INTENTIONALLY.

* * * END TRANSCRIPT ROUGH * * *

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Just now, EMAWesome said:

At least the Democrat Party has to worry a little less about running out of folding chairs for their primary debates now.

This gives me a sad.  I was looking forward to Avenatti using it to hit a few of 'em over the head, WWF style.

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4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Wait.....it turns out that Avenatti is a less-than-savory character?  Huh.  Except for the porn-star lawyer grandstanding bankrupt bullsitter thing, he seemed so genuine and pure.

Whatever happens to us -- and I maintain that it will end up being nothing good -- this is the golden age of comedy.  Folks don't even need to make any real effort -- the easter eggs are just laying there on the ground in plain sight.  Pick 'em up, get your laughs, and pick up the next few which have surely plopped out of someone's ass in the previous 15 minutes.

^^lying

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You would think that after the Bezos/National Enquirer story, lawyers would be more careful to legally extort others. Avenatti sounds like he needs more money than can be earned in legitimate fees to stay afloat.   $1m for my client, $12m for me (or whatever the amounts)

props to Nike to not paying blackmail even if some bad stories come out about them. I don’t think anyone should ever pay a blackmailer because they will always come back for more. You have to bury them. Perhaps literally.

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JFC, take a look at the L.A. Times' laundry list of shitstains this guy is involved with:
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-avenatti-california-new-york-charges-20190326-story.html

1) Attempted blackmail of Nike (saying show me da money or I talk about illegal payments you made to H.S. players)
2) Other part of blackmail is try to extort money to pay either $1.5m to shut up or up to $22.5m to do an "investigation" which they would bury
3) Giving phony tax returns to a California bank in order to get a $14m loan from a Mississippi bank
4) In reality, those returns had to be phony, because Avenatti didn't file a personal tax return for any of those years anyway
5) Neglected to pay taxes on returns (2008-9) which he happened to get around filing anyway, to the tune of $850K
6) One of his companies, Eagan Avenatti, also never seemed to get around to filing corporate taxes from 2013-17
7) Another one of his companies (Avenatti & Associates) received  $38m in payments from Eagan Avenatti, but also never filed any returns
8) Avenatti personally received almost $9m from his own company (Avenatti & Assoc.) and spent it on personal items, violating tax rules
9) Extorted (i.e. stole) $1.6m in a settlement he was supposed to hold for a client in California (never told the guy the money was finally there, and when it was, he spent it on his own personal luxuries) - oh, the client was declared mentally disabled from a California court, so Mike stole from a handicapped guy.  Nice touch, asshole.
10) Lied to the IRS when they asked him about the doings at Eagan Avenatti
11) Switched names of corporate entities to hide the money from the IRS when they came calling, obstructing IRS from gleaning payroll money to make up for the deficit
12) IRS hints at more coming, including money laundering and bankruptcy fraud

Fuck this guy.  Did I say fuck this guy?  Fuck this guy.  Hope he gets his ass drilled in prison so badly even Red Adair couldn't put the fire out.
 

Edited by phdhorn
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