Raps vs. Cohen may come soon
Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal lawyer, could be charged before the end of the month with bank fraud in his dealings with the taxi industry and with committing other financial crimes, two people familiar with the federal probe said Monday.
They confirmed reports that federal prosecutors in Manhattan were considering charging Cohen after months of speculation over a case that has been a distraction for the White House with the midterm elections approaching.
The New York Times reported Sunday, based on anonymous sources, that prosecutors have been focusing on more than $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that Cohen and his family own.
As part of the probe, prosecutors have subpoenaed records from Sterling National Bank, one of the institutions that loaned Cohen money with his ownership in taxicabs as collateral, one of the people said. The material was sought because it's suspected Cohen falsified some paperwork, the person said.
The people, who weren't authorized to discuss the case and spoke Monday on condition of anonymity, refused to answer questions about speculation that Cohen still might strike a plea deal with prosecutors requiring his cooperation.
Absent a quick resolution, it's believed that prosecutors would put off a decision on how to go forward with the case until after the election in compliance with an informal Justice Department policy of avoiding bringing prosecutions that could be seen as political and influencing voters.
Both the U.S. attorney's office and an attorney for Cohen, Lanny Davis, declined to comment Monday. A spokesman for Sterling National Bank declined to comment.
Cohen had gained notoriety as Trump's loyal “fixer” before FBI agents raided his offices and a hotel where he was staying while renovations were being done on his apartment in a Trump-developed building.
Prosecutors were initially silent about why Cohen was under investigation. Some details became public after lawyers for Cohen and Trump asked a judge to temporarily prevent probers from viewing some of the seized material, on the ground that it was protected by attorney-client privilege.
The search of Cohen's files sought bank records, communications with the Trump campaign and information on hush money payments made in 2016 to two women, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who received $150,000, and porn actress Stormy Daniels, who got $130,000.