Prosecutors have urged a judge to hand a “very substantial” prison term to Michael Avenatti, the disgraced lawyer who tried to extort millions of dollars out of sportswear giant Nike. In a Manhattan federal court submission, the prosecutors noted a Probation Office recommendation that Avenatti, who represented porn star Stormy Daniels against Donald Trump, should serve eight years in jail. They said that Avenatti had “betrayed his client and sought to enrich himself by weaponizing his public profile in an attempt to extort a publicly-traded company out of tens of millions of dollars. This was an egregious abuse of trust, and it warrants real and serious punishment,” the Associated Press reported.
Avenatti, 50, was convicted last year of trying to extort $25 million out of Nike to buy his silence on allegations of corruption involving college athletes. His lawyers have said that his public shaming has been punishment enough and he should spend no more than six months in prison.
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