Clare Bronfman says she fired Avenatti, found Geragos instead online for Nxivm trial
By Reuven Fenton and Laura Italiano

March 28, 2019 | 6:31pm | Updated


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Clare Bronfman and her lawyer Mark GeragosGabriella Bass

Seagram’s heiress and alleged Nxivm sex-cult money launderer Clare Bronfman has drawn the line at Michael Avenatti — axing the indicted-on-both-coasts attorney after briefly retaining him, her lawyer revealed Thursday.

But she’s keeping her other criminally entangled celebrity lawyer, Mark Geragos.

Geragos has been named in multiple reports as the unindicted co-conspirator in Avenatti’s Manhattan federal court case, in which he’s alleged to have shaken down sneaker giant Nike for $20 million.

“You didn’t get him from the internet, did you?” the incredulous Judge Nicholas Garaufis asked Bronfman of the lawyer she’s keeping, Geragos, during a brief hearing in Brooklyn federal court about her legal representation.

“Actually, I did,” she answered.

Geragos, who has not been charged with a crime, has been all over the internet as lawyer for former NFL “bend a knee” quarterback Colin Kaepernick and self-proclaimed hate-crime “victim” Jussie Smollett.

Garaufis asked Bronfman if she is feeling better — the heiress had swooned and nearly fainted in court on Wednesday after hearing Avenatti’s name in court.

“I am, thank you,” she answered. “You know, I was just scared yesterday. The whole situation has been very stressful. I’m very clear now.”

When the judge asked if she’d had any alcohol in the past 24 hours, she said, “Not in the last 14 years.”

The shocking Nxivm case also includes accused sex-cult mastermind Keith Raniere and “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, who was allegedly his second in command.

https://nypost.com/2019/03/28/clare...found-geragos-instead-online-for-nxivm-trial/

The bolded part made me LOL. I guess the judge figured an heiress would have old-fashioned legal contacts. That exchange in a courtroom is just hilarious to me.

 

He has made such a laughing stock of himself, I don't think he will get much new business. And I expect him to lose his license soon. So I think it's pretty much over now anyway.

If something is still interesting to me, though, I'll happily talk to myself. lol

 

In a sweeping expansion of the criminal charges against Michael Avenatti, a federal grand jury has indicted the Los Angeles lawyer on 36 counts of fraud, perjury, failure to pay taxes, embezzlement and other financial crimes.

Avenatti stole millions of dollars from five clients and used a tangled web of shell companies and bank accounts to cover up the theft, the Santa Ana grand jury alleged in an indictment that prosecutors made public Thursday.

One of the clients, Geoffrey Ernest Johnson, was a mentally ill paraplegic on disability who won a $4-million settlement of a suit against Los Angeles County. The money was wired to Avenatti in January 2015, but he hid it from Johnson for years, according to the indictment.

In 2017, Avenatti received $2.75 million in proceeds from another client’s legal settlement, but concealed that too, the indictment says. The next day, he put $2.5 million of that money into the purchase of a private jet for Passport 420, LLC, a company he effectively owned, according to prosecutors.

At the time, Avenatti and his businesses owed millions of dollars in back taxes, the government claimed, and his Newport Beach law firm, Eagan Avenatti, was weeks from bankruptcy.

Federal agents seized the Honda HA-420 jet at Santa Barbara Airport on Wednesday under a court-approved warrant that remains under seal, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles.

“Michael Avenatti allegedly stole from his clients, and he stole from the IRS,” said Ryan L. Korner, the chief of Internal Revenue Service criminal investigations in Los Angeles. “The money was used to fuel a lavish lifestyle that had no limits, including making mortgage payments on a multimillion-dollar home in Laguna Beach and purchasing a private plane.”

The breadth of Avenatti’s alleged crimes is clear in the maximum sentence he would face if convicted on all counts: 335 years in prison.

In a separate federal case in New York, Avenatti faces up to 47 more years if convicted on charges of trying to extort more than $20 million from Nike, the sportswear giant. An indictment in that case is expected soon.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-avenatti-indicted-fraud-theft-charges-20190411-story.html

what this doesn't make clear enough is that Avenatti finally paid the disabled guy the money he was due all of those years ago because he KNEW the press would uncover what he had done. The disabled guy was so thrilled to get the money. He had no idea Avenatti had had it the whole time.

It seems to me the disbarment can proceed post haste. They make their own review of facts in cases where there is no court case, so why should they wait on this thing to crawl through the courts. (I could be wrong.) He should be blocked right now before he harms anyone else.

 

With Michael Avenatti now facing a slew of federal charges in cases filed this week in New York and California, things could go from bad to worse. Not only does the attorney face serious prison time over the charges (which include extortion in New York and various fraud offenses in California), he may have to seek another line of work once it’s all over.

Just like ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen lost his law license after his federal convictions, Avenatti is also at risk of being disbarred over the new allegations.

The California Rules of Professional Responsibility, which outline attorney conduct, state:

It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to … commit a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects[.]

The rules also prohibit “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or reckless or intentional misrepresentation.”

The charges pending against Avenatti could certainly be viewed to adversely reflect on his honesty, seeing as they include conduct involving felony fraud.

Violations of the Rules can result in discipline ranging from private or public reprimand to suspension or revocation of one’s license to practice law in the state.

If a California lawyer is convicted of a felony or “a crime which involves or probably involves moral turpitude,” the Rules say that their license “may be temporarily suspended from the practice of law until the finality of their conviction.” If they are unsuccessful on appeal and their conviction is finalized, “the court will make a determination regarding the degree of attorney discipline that should be imposed as a result of that conviction.”

Of course, Avenatti has only been charged so far, so it’s premature to say that he will definitely lose his license,

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profil...d-stormy-daniels-is-hinting-at-more-bad-news/

Darn. They will wait until the legal case is completely resolved. I understand it's cleaner that way, but ... sigh.

 

As legal troubles mount for high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti, a former federal prosecutor Monday compared him to a "Disney villain" and said Avenatti may have found a fight that's too big, even for him.

Avenatti is accused of embezzling almost $2 million from the former girlfriend of Hassan Whiteside, a center for the NBA's Miami Heat.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/michael-avenatti-like-disney-villain-former-federal-prosecutor

 

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge Tuesday rejected attorney Michael Avenatti’s request for a public defender to represent him in a case alleging he stole millions of dollars from clients, cheated on his taxes and committed bank fraud.

Judge James Selna denied the request without providing a reason on the eve of Avenatti’s appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana, California, on the issue of who will represent him.

Prosecutors want Avenatti to fill out financial forms to show he can’t afford a lawyer before one is appointed and Avenatti refused, citing the complexity of his finances and legal situation.

Avenatti said the judge’s rejection only pertains to his request for a public defender without filing a financial affidavit. He said he was considering his options going forward.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/may/14/michael-avenatti-public-defender-request-rejected-/

No shame. Impressive. Still trying to steal what isn't his to have.

 

Federal prosecutors filed additional charges against high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday, claiming the frequent White House critic pocketed nearly $300,000 from former client Stormy Daniels.

Daniels was owed money from a book deal and Avenatti allegedly used a "fraudulent document purporting to bear his client’s name and signature to convince his client’s literary agent to divert money owed to Avenatti's client to an account controlled by Avenatti," according to a statement by federal prosecutors.

A senior federal law enforcement official told NBC News that "Victim-1" who was allegedly bilked by Avenatti is Stephanie Clifford, otherwise known by her stage name, Stormy Daniels.

The publisher gave money to Daniels' agent and the former adult film star was supposed to receive two payments of $148,750, according to the indictment. But Avenatti had the money sent to funds he controlled, rather than to his client, according to court papers.

Prosecutors accused Avenatti of spending the money lavishly, including monthly payments on a Ferrari.

“Michael Avenatti abused and violated the core duty of an attorney — the duty to his client," according to a statement by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman.

"As alleged, he used his position of trust to steal an advance on the client’s book deal. As alleged, he blatantly lied to and stole from his client to maintain his extravagant lifestyle, including to pay for, among other things, a monthly car payment on a Ferrari," Berman said. "Far from zealously representing his client, Avenatti, as alleged, instead engaged in outright deception and theft, victimizing rather than advocating for his client.”

The lawyer quickly responded, saying on Twitter: "No monies relating to Ms. Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received. I look forward to a jury hearing the evidence."

Throughout the summer, fall and winter of 2018, Daniels repeatedly asked Avenatti about the book money she was owed, and the lawyer said he was pressuring the publisher for payments, according to the indictment.

But in reality, the publisher had already paid Daniels literary agent, who then directed to money to Avenatti — at the lawyer’s unlawful direction, the indictment claimed.

“When is this publisher going to cough up my money,” Daniels asked Avenatti on Dec. 5, 2018.

Avenatti, knowing he had received money from Daniels’ agent, allegedly told his client he would threaten to file a lawsuit against the publisher.

“As for publisher — working them and threatening litigation,” Avenatti responded, according to the indictment. “They need to pay you the money as you did your part and then some.”

Avenatti was hit two criminal counts regarding Daniels’ book deal, one for wire fraud and the other for aggravated identity theft.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/michael-avenatti-charged-stealing-money-stormy-daniels-n1008901

 

Then he retaliates with a Trump-worthy claim. That he DESERVED to be allowed to steal her money because he had represented her pro bono (for free ((although really for the value it brought him in advertising)) ):

She received millions of dollars worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received. I look forward to a jury hearing the evidence.

 

Until the statutes of limitation all run, I don't expect him to ever be out of trouble....