Attorney Michael Avenatti is expected to be hit with a 36-count indictment by a federal grand jury on Thursday, CNBC is reporting.
The indictment, by a grand jury in Los Angeles, will come more than two weeks have federal prosecutors in New York and Los Angeles filed separate criminal complaints against him.
Prosecutors in the case say the IRS is involved, which indicates Avenatti could be indicted for possible tax crimes, according to CNBC.
Avenatti gained famed for representing porn actress Stormy Daniels in legal battles against President Donald Trump.
In the earlier criminal complaints, Avenatti was charged in California with filing bogus tax returns to obtain $4 million in loans from a Mississippi bank and pocketing $1.6 million belonging to a client. In the New York case, Avenatti was charged with attempting to extort millions of dollars from Nike.
CNBC noted unless defendants in a federal criminal case plead guilty, prosecutors have to obtain a grand jury indictment to move the case forward.
Avenatti responded to CNBC’s report on the expected indictments Thursday with a text message:
He wrote: "For 20 years I have represented Davids vs. Goliaths and relied on due process and our system of justice."
"Along the way, I have made many powerful enemies. I am entitled to a FULL presumption of innocence and am confident that justice will be done once ALL of the facts are known."
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