One of the alleged co-conspirators in the Michael Avenatti extortion case is a California lawyer and longtime CNN analyst “known for representation of celebrity and public figure clients” — including Colin Kaepernick, Michael Jackson and Jussie Smollett, a report says.
Attorney Mark Geragos, 61, was not actually named in the criminal complaint against Avenatti, but two sources familiar with the matter tell The Wall Street Journal that he is the “CC-1” that prosecutors referred to in the document.
According to his website, Geragos has represented “some of the most prominent figures in the world” over the last 30 years. His client list includes rap moguls Suge Knight and Sean “Diddy” Combs, actress Winona Ryder, boxer Mike Tyson, singer Chris Brown and convicted murderer Scott Peterson.
In the early 2000s, Geragos helped the late King of Pop secure an acquittal on child molestation charges in California. He had been trying to get Smollett, the former “Empire” star, out of his legal troubles before Avenatti’s arrest Monday.
The actor has been charged with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging his own hate crime. Geragos defended him in a statement to CNN earlier this month while still serving as a network contributor.
“This redundant and vindictive indictment is nothing more than a desperate attempt to make headlines,” Geragos said.
CNN issued a statement on Monday after word got out about Geragos’ involvement in the Avenatti case, saying he was “no longer” an analyst.
Geragos’ website bio describes him as “the only lawyer besides Johnnie Cochran ever named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in both Criminal and Civil arenas.”
According to prosecutors, he and Avenatti met with Nike attorneys earlier this month in New York and attempted to extort them.
They allegedly threatened to release sensitive information about the company — claiming they would only keep quiet if Nike coughed up $20 million, the WSJ reports.
The duo’s alleged interest in the shoe and apparel giant stemmed from Avenatti’s representation of a high-profile client who was described simply as an amateur men’s basketball coach from California who has a sponsorship with the shoe company.
Geragos could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.