He is also accused of defrauding a Mississippi bank of $4.1 million in loans by submitting false tax returns inflating his income for 2011 to 2013.
In New York, prosecutors said Avenatti and a co-conspirator, whom they did not name, met Nike's attorneys on March 19 and told them they represented a former college basketball coach with information about Nike's involvement in a scheme to bribe high school basketball players.
They threatened to go public unless Nike hired Avenatti to conduct an internal investigation for $15 million to $25 million, and paid an additional $1.5 million to the client, according to prosecutors.
Avenatti also offered to accept a $22.5 million payment for his silence, prosecutors said.
Avenatti faces up to 30 years in prison on the most serious charge in California and up to 20 years for the top charge in New York.