Michael Cohen sentenced to 3 years in prison

Michael Cohen sentenced to 3 years in prison
Donald Trump, Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen, the embattled former lawyer for President Trump, was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court to three years in prison.

Cohen, who had pleaded guilty to eight counts, including “excessive campaign contributions,” had asked for no prison time, citing his extensive cooperation in Mueller probe, while prosecutors had demanded substantial jail time. U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III, who presided over the trial, split the difference.

According to the New York Times:

Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?

Cohen’s sentencing was unusual because it involved guilty pleas he made in two separate cases, one filed by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York and a later one by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.

In addition to prison time, Cohen was ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution and a $50,000 fine, and forfeit $500,000, according to Fox News, which adds:

Speaking in court before the judge issued the sentence, Cohen said “blind loyalty” to Trump led him “to take a path of darkness instead of light.”

A contrite Cohen, speaking in court, told the judge he takes “full responsibility for each act,” saying the “sooner I am sentenced, the sooner I can return to my family.”

Cohen also apologized to the people of the United States, saying, “You deserve to know the truth.”

At the conclusion of sentencing, Cohen was permitted to leave on his own recognizance. The court has allowed him more than two months to get his affairs in order. He will not have to report to prison until March 6.

LU Staff

LU Staff

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