Names and faces
■ Michael Avenatti, the combative lawyer who gained fame by representing a porn star in lawsuits involving President Donald Trump, was convicted Friday of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike. The verdict was returned Friday by a federal jury in Manhattan following a three-week trial in which prosecutors said Avenatti threatened to use his media access to hurt Nike’s reputation and stock price unless the company paid him up to $25 million. The convictions for attempted extortion and honest services fraud carry a combined potential penalty of 42 years in prison. Avenatti glared at the jurors as the verdict was being announced but said nothing. Afterward, he shook hands with his lawyers and told them “great job,” before he was led back to the cell where he has been held since a judge found he had violated his bail conditions. His lawyer, Scott Srebnick, declined to comment but said he would appeal the conviction. A judge set sentencing for June. Avenatti, 48, became a cable news fixture in 2018 and 2019 as journalists courted him for information about porn star Stormy Daniels and her claims of a Trump tryst before he became president, and a payoff to remain silent about it. During his trial, Avenatti did not testify, but his lawyers said he was following the wishes of two clients who advised him to be aggressive to force Nike to fire corrupt executives and fix its culture. Besides the extortion trial, Avenatti also faces an April trial in New York on charges that he defrauded Daniels of book proceeds and a May trial in Los Angeles on charges that he defrauded clients and others of millions of dollars.
■ Bring out the rhythm nation: Janet’s back. Janet Jackson is going out on tour this summer in support of her forthcoming album, Black Diamond, set to be released later this year. Along with new hits, the singer, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, will also be celebrating the 30th anniversary of her Rhythm Nation 1814 album, which was released in 1989. The Black Diamond tour starts in Miami on June 24 and will make stops including Tampa, Nashville, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles before closing in Tacoma, Wash., on Aug. 23. Jackson, 53, will also touch down at the Prudential Center in Newark on July 12 and at Madison Square Garden on July 14. Her last tour, “Unbreakable,” kicked off in mid-2016 and relaunched in September 2017 as the “State of the World Tour,” nine months after she gave birth to son Eissa Al Mana.