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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCALIFORNIA federal prosecutors indict Michael Avenatti (in addition to NY)
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/lawyer-michael-avenatti-arrested-federal-bank-fraud-and-wire-fraud-chargesAccording to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint in this case, Avenatti negotiated a settlement which called for $1.6 million in settlement money to be paid on January 10, 2018, but then gave the client a bogus settlement agreement with a false payment date of March 10, 2018. The affidavit states that Avenatti misappropriated his clients settlement money and used it to pay expenses for his coffee business, Global Baristas US LLC, which operated Tullys Coffee stores in California and Washington state, as well as for his own expenses. When the fake March 2018 deadline passed and the client asked where the money was, Avenatti continued to conceal that the payment had already been received, court documents said.
Avenatti also allegedly defrauded a bank in Mississippi by submitting to the lender false tax returns in order to obtain three loans totaling $4.1 million for his law firm and coffee business in 2014. According to the affidavit, Avenatti obtained the loans by submitting fabricated individual income tax returns (Forms 1040) for 2011, 2012, and 2013, reporting substantial income even though he had never filed any such returns with the Internal Revenue Service. The phony returns stated that he earned $4,562,881 in adjusted gross income in 2011, $5,423,099 in 2012, and $4,082,803 in 2013, according to the affidavit. Avenatti allegedly also claimed he paid $1.6 million in estimated tax payments to the IRS in 2012 and paid $1.25 million in 2013. In reality, Avenatti never filed personal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 and did not make any estimated tax payments in 2012 and 2013. Instead of the millions of dollars he claimed to have paid in taxes, Avenatti still owed the IRS $850,438 in unpaid personal income tax plus interest and penalties for the tax years 2009 and 2010, court papers state. The affidavit also alleges that, as part of his loan applications, Avenatti also submitted a fictitious partnership tax return for his law firm.
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Full Complaint:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/press-release/file/1147466/download
You know, the next time someone has FACTS which you don't like, it might we worth debunking them, instead of just telling that person to shut up.
hlthe2b
(102,236 posts)I have to wonder how many young (youngish) men have watched what Donald Trump has gotten by with throughout his life--lies, lies, ego, more ego, and more lies-- and thought they could emulate the tactics, if not the horrific complete persona.
MichMan
(11,915 posts)hlthe2b
(102,236 posts)the 180-degree version of Trump in terms of his beliefs, but not necessarily all of his tactics. They do seem to share the unbridled ego driving them.
My comment was in reference to young men today watching Trump. It might have applied to watching Avenatti as well, except it does not appear he has the "come out of all unscathed" gene.
Gothmog
(145,176 posts)jberryhill
(62,444 posts)Captain Stern
(2,201 posts)It sounds like he was blackmailing Nike, Nike went to the authorities, they got evidence that showed Avenatti was threatening to "release" info that would be financially damaging to Nike (unless they paid him off, of course)....then when they didn't pay up, he actually went on twitter to announce that he was going to have a press conference where he would "release" damaging info about Nike.
Sounds like he was arrested about fifteen minutes later.
[link:
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)onenote
(42,700 posts)The arrest was based on a criminal complaint. The government presumably will seek (and almost certainly obtain) an indictment against him in the next 30 days.