Michael Avenatti—who was indicted on 36 charges last month including fraud, tax dodging, and embezzlement—pleaded not guilty on Monday morning in Santa Ana, California. Just two weeks before the 48-year-old was charged in the 36-count indictment, federal prosecutors in New York and California also alleged that the one-time lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels attempted to extort millions of dollars from Nike, Inc., forced tax returns to defraud a bank, and stole from clients. Avenatti became a household name when he represented Daniels against President Trump, becoming a vocal critic of the president and even briefly floating a 2020 presidential run. “We don’t convict someone in America based on a one-sided argument and a press conference,” Avenatti wrote in a statement he posted on Twitter. “Even when he is one of the biggest enemies of the president and his son.”
