US lawyer Avenatti sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for extortion

Michael Avenatti (Julio Cortez/AP)

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer who once represented Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump, has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for trying to extort up to 25 million dollars from Nike by threatening the company with bad publicity.

Avenatti, 50, was convicted last year of charges including attempted extortion and honest services fraud in connection with his representation of a Los Angeles youth basketball league organiser who was upset that Nike had ended its league sponsorship.