In SDNY Avenatti Charged With Extorting Nike, on $300000 Bail Inner City Press Asks of NCAA Bracket

By Matthew Russell Lee SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 25 – When Michael Avenatti was brought into court on March 25 on charges of extorting Nike and defrauding banks, he sat alone at the defense table for twenty minutes. The two Federal Defenders lawyers representing him then came in, and huddled twice with a group of prosecutors. It emerged they hammered out a bail package: $300,000 bond, turning in both American and Italian passports and not contacting Co-Conspirator 1 without counsel present. U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Katharine H. Parker accepted the bail package, and told Avenatti if he does not show up a warrant will be issued for his arrest. Later, much later, Avenatti emerged in front of the SDNY court's Worth Street entrance and spoke without taking questions, saying he will continue to fight. On his way to his 4 by 4 Inner City Press asked, What information do you have on Nike? And, to try to get some response, Has your [NCAA March Madness] bracket been broken? There was no answer. Periscope video here. College basketball scandals involving Adidas and University of Louisville on March 5, with a glancing reference to Rick Pitino, resulted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in prison sentences of nine months for James Gatto, and six months each for Merl Code and Christian Dawkins. Since then LSU coach Will Wade has been suspended - even as LSU with named Javonte Smart in March Madness beat Maryland on March 23, to next face off against the Spartans of Michigan State, with Wade still sending text message to "his" players. Meanwhile after Pitino's former team Louisville lost against Minnesota coached by his son by 10 - call it karma -- then Minnesota lost to Michigan State (slated to play LSU). Auburn, see below, again reversed the karmic trend with a win over Kansas after its squeaker win over New Mexico State. The next NCAA corruption trial starts April 22 in the SDNY, with Will Wade already served a subpoena... On March 19 Chuck Person, former coach at Auburn, pled guilty in the SDNY to receiving approximately $91,500 in cash bribes from athlete advisers in exchange for using his influence over Auburn basketball players to retain the services of the advisers paying the bribes. Person pled guilty before SDNY Judge Loretta A. Preska, who on March 25 is set to sentence UN briber Patrick Ho who paid $500,000 to UN PGA Sam Kutesa of Uganda, and offered $2 million to Chad's Idriss Deby.