Ex-Trump Lawyer Cohen Gets 3 Years in Prison
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, was sentenced to three years in prison Wednesday for crimes that included arranging payments to cover up the president's alleged sexual affairs.
Cohen, 52, was found guilty of evading $1.4 million in taxes, lying about Trump's business activities in Russia and violating campaign-finance laws in buying the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Cohen arranged for tabloid publisher American Media Inc. to pay McDougal $150,000 to buy and bury her story. Cohen also said he paid $130,000 to Daniels and was reimbursed by Trump's business empire.
Cohen and federal prosecutors have said the payments were made at Trump's direction to prevent a scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign that could have damaged his chances of winning the election. The payments were not reported as campaign contributions which violated a ban on corporate contributions and the $2,700 limit on donations by an individual.
Cohen is the first member of Trump's circle to implicate him in a crime in open court. Trump's legal culpability could depend on whether the payments to Daniels and McDougal were made at his direction, and whether they were intended to influence the election.
Cohen said he will continue cooperating with prosecutors, and one of his legal advisers said Cohen is also prepared to tell "all he knows" to the Congress if asked. Cohen is also cooperating with Robert Mueller's Special Counsel investigation, which is looking into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.
"I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice," said Cohen. "My weakness can be characterized as a blind loyalty to Donald Trump."
The judge also ordered Cohen to pay $1.39 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), forfeit $500,000 and pay $100,000 in fines.
In addition to pleading guilty to the campaign-finance and tax charges, Cohen admitted lying to the Congress to hide the fact that he was negotiating a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow well into the 2016 presidential campaign.
Cohen was ordered to report to prison March 6 and left court without comment.
Michael Cohen, accompanied by his children, arrives at federal court for sentencing.
