What is extortion?
Embattled attorney Michael Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort up to $25M from athleticwear giant Nike
Extortion is the act of threatening someone or otherwise using fear or using force against that person in order to obtain something or achieve a certain goal.
“Any person… who communicates threats to another person with the intention thereby to obtain anything of value or any acquittance, advantage, or immunity is guilty of extortion,” the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute states.
A noteworthy example of extortion involves embattled attorney Michael Avenatti, who once represented porn star Stormy Daniels in her case against President Trump.
California attorney Michael Avenatti walks from a courthouse in New York, after facing charges, on July 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
He was convicted in February of trying to extort up to $25 million from athleticwear giant Nike.
Avenatti allegedly threatened to publicly accuse Nike of misconduct in a press conference the day before the company's quarterly earnings were announced, court papers show.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NKE | NIKE INC. | 95.74 | +0.90 | +0.95% |
On March 25, the day he was arrested by the feds, he announced on Twitter a press conference regarding the company.
“Tmrw at 11 am ET, we will be holding a press conference to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered,” the tweet states. “This criminal conduct reaches the highest levels of Nike and involves some of the biggest names in college basketball.”
The alleged threat was also made on the eve of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.