Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Michael Avenatti jumped at the chance to represent porn star Stormy Daniels in 2018, saying he'd do it for a dollar, another California attorney testified Wednesday at Avenatti's criminal trial.
The testimony by the lawyer, Sean Ernesto Macias, was expected to set the stage for Daniels to take the witness stand on Thursday.
Avenatti took over representation of himself from other lawyers on Tuesday as he asserts his innocence against wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges filed by prosecutors who claim Avenatti cheated Daniels of nearly $300,000 she was owed from a book deal.
Avenatti, 50, denies it, saying it was always understood that he would share in the proceeds of some of Daniels' projects, including the writing of her autobiography, particularly because an agreement the pair signed only required Daniels to pay him $100.
Macias, who peppered his hour of testimony with colorful answers, drew laughter throughout the Manhattan courtroom when he identified Avenatti by saying: "He's the handsome fellow with the shaved head."
But, at other times, he seemed so emotional that he paused before answering to collect himself, saying at one point: "I still feel bad for him in a weird way."
Macias said he'd known Daniels for several years when she reached out to him in 2018 to seek legal representation to change the terms of her $130,000 deal made shortly before the 2016 presidential election to be silent about her claims that she'd had a sexual tryst with then-President Donald Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied it.
Macias said he was with Avenatti one day when he mentioned that Daniels was "blowing up my phone" over the subject.
"I might be interested in this," he recalled Avenatti telling him.
He said he believed that Daniels just wanted to alter her deal so she could speak publicly about her encounter with Trump and receive more money, but Avenatti "wanted to go big" with an appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes."
"He told her: `I'll charge you a dollar,"' Macias recalled.
A prosecutor, Mathew Podolsky, asked Macias if Avenatti thanked him for introducing him to Daniels. The lawyer said Avenatti gave him a Cartier watch in the summer of 2018. But by Labor Day weekend, Avenatti appeared deflated and melancholy at a Las Vegas convention for lawyers.
"He seemed a little more agitated than he normally was and he seemed a little needy," Macias said.
"I said: `What happened to you?"' Macias recalled.
Avenatti responded: "She's going crazy," referring to Daniels, Macias said.
He said Avenatti claimed the book publisher hadn't paid her as scheduled on her $800,000 advance, that Daniels was considering speaking publicly about her complaints and "she's going to blow this deal up."
Prosecutors have told jurors that Avenatti was pocketing payments destined for her, funneling some of the money into his law practice's payroll expenses and personal expenses.
"He wanted me to represent her to sue the book publishing company," Macias said.
Then, days later, Avenatti showed up at his office saying he was "jammed up and needed help" because he was about to be evicted from his law office space and needed help meeting his payroll, he said.
"I was shocked he needed money," Macias said, noting that Avenatti was appearing regularly at the time on cable television news programs.
Avenatti said he needed someone to loan him $250,000, Macias said.
Macias said he located a lawyer, Mark Geragos, willing to loan Avenatti that amount.
"He referred to him as `El Presidente' and said, `Why not?"' Macias said.
Geragos did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
When Avenatti cross examined Macias, he asked him if he'd had alcohol or drugs in the day before his testimony and if he was "incredibly excited" when Avenatti was considering running for president.
Macias recalled that he drank a glass of champagne on Tuesday. And, of the quest for the presidency, he testified: "You wanted me to be chief of staff. I said: `Make me ambassador to France. That'd be awesome!"'
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.