A federal prosecutor told jurors in Michael Avenatti's extortion case Wednesday that the embattled celebrity lawyer had "sold out" his own client when he demanded that Nike Inc. pay him millions of dollars to keep quiet about allegedly illicit payments the company made to the families of college basketball recruits.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Sobelman said in his opening statement that Avenatti, known for his representation of adult film star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump, had used claims by youth basketball coach Gary Franklin to "line his own pockets," rather than secure justice for his client.

The prosecutor said Avenatti used his large social media following and nearly ubiquitous media presence as a "modern weapon" to force Nike to pay him as much as $25 million to head an internal investigation of Nike's recruiting practices. The government has alleged that Avenatti did not tell Franklin about earlier offers from the company to settle Franklin's claims without paying Avenatti and fellow attorney Mark Geragos to spearhead the probe.