Michael Avenatti Accused Of Stealing Hassan Whiteside’s Settlement Payment To Ex-Girlfriend

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Source: FREDERIC J. BROWN / Getty

Michael Avenatti has been dogged with accusations of doing some shady business of late, including trying to put the squeeze onto Nike before the apparel company got the drop on him and countered his moves. Now, a new report is alleging that the attorney embezzled money from NBA player Hassan Whiteside after he intercepted a $2 million settlement in order to buy shares into a private jet.

Los Angeles Times reports:

When Hassan Whiteside of the Miami Heat wired $2.75 million to Michael Avenatti in January 2017, the pro basketball player intended most of the money to go to his former girlfriend, Alexis Gardner.

Avenatti was Gardner’s attorney. An actress and barista, she’d hired him just a few weeks before to negotiate a settlement of a potential lawsuit against Whiteside. It’s unclear what she would have alleged. Avenatti quickly struck a $3-million deal, and the $2.75 million was Whiteside’s first payment.

Avenatti, prosecutors say, was entitled to take just over $1 million in legal fees, leaving the rest for Gardner.

Instead, they allege, Avenatti hid Whiteside’s payment from her and immediately took $2.5 million to buy a share of a private jet.

The full story of Avenatti’s alleged embezzlement from Gardner came to light in bank records and in the April 10 indictment of the Los Angeles lawyer by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana.

Read the full details of this report by following this link.

Photo: Getty

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