Michael Avenatti Allegedly Embezzled Money to Pay for Coffee Business

PublishedMarch 25, 2019

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I’m crying.

Michael Avenatti was arrested in New York on Monday for allegedly attempting to extort millions of dollars from Nike—but this dude faces charges from a completely separate case in California, too. Specifically, he’s been charged with embezzling a client’s money to pay for “his own expenses and debts—as well as those of his coffee business and law firm.” Ah yes, Global Baristas US LLC—which Avenatti founded and used to buy 40 Tully’s Coffee locations in 2013. That went extremely not well for him: last year, Global Baristas agreed never to use the Tully’s name again after a legal battle with Keurig over the brand. At the time, Avenatti said he’d sold his stake in Global Baristas and had nothing to do with the firm anymore. Unfortunately, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California begs to differ. [Dept. of Justice, Seattle Times, Business Insider]
Homeless New Yorkers who were arrested last week, after a 24-hour vigil held at the state Capitol, were back at the Division of Budget office on Monday, protesting Governor Cuomo’s office over funding for a plan to address the homelessness epidemic across the state. [Twitter, Facebook]
Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador keeps saying he’ll protect Mexican journalists from being murdered and not actually doing it. [VICE News]
New Jersey will have to just wait for recreational marijuana, sorry guys. [Politico]