The Record (Troy, NY)

Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen gets 3 years in prison

Trump ignores reporters’ questions about Cohen shortly after sentencing

- By Larry Neumeister and TomHays

NEW YORK (AP) >> Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s once- devoted lawyer and all-around fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison after telling a federal judge that his “blind loyalty” to his boss led him to cover up Trump’s “dirty deeds.”

Standing alone at the defense table, Cohen, 52, shook his head slightly and closed his eyes as the judge pronounced the sentence for crimes that included lying about his boss’ business dealings in Russia and funneling hush money to two women who said they had sex with Trump — payments that both Cohen and federal prosecutor­s said were made at Trump’s direction to fend off damage to his White House bid.

Cohen is the first and, so far, only member of Trump’s circle during two years of investigat­ions to go into open court and implicate the president in a crime, though whether a president can be prosecuted under the Constituti­on is an open question.

Separately, prosecutor­s announced Wednesday that they filled in another piece of the puzzle in the hush-money case: The parent company of the National Enquirer acknowledg­ed making one of those payments “in con- cert” with the Trump campaign to protect him from a story that could have hurt his candidacy.

During an appearance at the White House shortly after the sentencing, Trump ignored reporters’ questions about Cohen.

At the sentencing, U. S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen deserved modest credit for his decision over the summer to admit guilt and cooperate in the federal investigat­ion of efforts by Russians to influence the 2016 presidenti­al election, but his assistance “does not wipe the slate clean.”

“Somewhere along the way Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass,” the judge said. “As a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better.”

The judge also ordered Cohen to pay $1.39 million in restitutio­n to the IRS, forfeit $500,000 and pay $100,000 in fines. He was ordered to report to prison March 6 and left court without comment.

The prison sentence was in line with what prosecutor­s asked for. Sentencing guidelines called for around four to five years, and the government asked in court papers that Cohen be given only a slight break.

“It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light,” Cohen, who once boasted he would “take a bullet” for Trump, told the judge before the sentence came down. “Time and time again, I thought it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than listen to my voice.”

Cohen got choked up near the end of his remarks and paused briefly to compose himself. His daughter, seated behind him, sobbed throughout. As he returned to his seat, he ran his hand across her cheek.

Cohen’s lawyers had argued for leniency, saying he decided to cooperate with investigat­ors rather than hold out for a possible pardon.

“He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country,” defense attorney Guy Petrillo told the judge.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to evading $1.4 million in taxes related to his personal businesses. In the part of the case with political repercussi­ons, he also admitted breaking campaign finance laws in arranging payments in the closing days of the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Last month, he also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress by concealing that he was negotiatin­g a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow deep into the presidenti­al campaign season. He said he lied out of devotion to Trump, who had in- sisted during the campaign that he had no business ties whatsoever to Russia.

The sentence was the culminatio­n of a spectacula­r rise and fast fall of a lawyer who attached himself to the fortunes of his biggest client, helped him get elected president, then turned on him, cooperatin­g with two interconne­cted investigat­ions: one run by federal prosecutor­s in New York, the other by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Russia investigat­ion.

Beyond the guilty pleas, it is unclear exactly what Cohen has told prosecutor­s, and it remains to be seen how much damage Cohen’s cooperatio­n will do to Trump. Legal experts said Cohen could get his sentence reduced if he strikes a deal with prosecutor­s to tell them more.

Cohen said in court that he will continue cooperatin­g. And his legal adviser Lanny Davis, who previously represente­d President Bill Clinton, said the former political fixer will tell publicly “all he knows” about Trump after Mueller completes his investigat­ion, and that includes testifying before Congress.

“Mr. Trump’s repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts,” Davis said in a statement.

In the hush-money case, prosecutor­s said, Cohen arranged for the parent company of the National Enquirer to pay $150,000 to McDougal. He also paid $130,000 to Daniels and was reimbursed by Trump’s business empire.

Prosecutor­s said the McDougal payment violated federal law against corporate campaign contributi­ons, while the money that went to Daniels exceeded the $2,700 limit on campaign donations. Also, campaign contributi­ons must be reported under law, and the two hush-money payments were not disclosed.

Shortly after Cohen’s sentencing, federal authoritie­s announced a deal not to prosecute the National Enquirer’s parent, American Media Inc. As part of the deal, AMI admitted making the $150,000 payment to McDougal to buy her silence about the alleged affair and fend off damage to Trump’s candidacy.

In a court filing last week, the prosecutor­s left no doubt that they believe Cohen arranged the hush-money payments at Trump’s direction, saying the maneuver was part of an effort to “influence the election from the shadows.”

Trump had denied any sexual relationsh­ip with the women and argued on Twitter earlier this week that the payments to the women were “a simple private transactio­n,” not a campaign contributi­on. And if it was a prohibited contributi­on, Trump said, Cohen is the one who should be held responsibl­e.

“Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me,” Trump wrote, adding, “Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!”

An attorney for the Trump Organizati­on did not immediatel­y respond to a request for comment.

At the sentencing, a prosecutor in Mueller’s office, Jeannie Rhee, said Cohen has “sought to tell us the truth and that is of the utmost value to us” and has “provided consistent and credible informatio­n about core Russia-related issues under investigat­ion.” She did not elaborate.

But the New York-based prosecutor­s who handled the case against Cohen had urged the judge to sentence him to a “substantia­l” prison term and said he failed to tell investigat­ors everything he knows.

In addressing the judge, Cohen described the sentencing as “the day I am getting my freedom back.” He said he had suffered from a “personal and mental incarcerat­ion” ever since agreeing in 2007 to work for Trump, a man he admired. “I now know there is little to be admired,” Cohen said.

Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, who played a major role in exposing the hush- money discussion­s, said outside the courthouse: “Wewill not stop until the truth is known relating to the conduct of Donald Trump.” But he added: “Let me be clear, Michael Cohen is neither a hero nor a patriot” and “he deserves every day of the 36-month sentence he will serve.”

 ?? ELIZABETH WILLIAMS VIA AP ?? In this courtroom sketch, Michael Cohen addresses the court during his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018in New York federal court. President Donald Trump’s once-devoted lawyer and all-around fixer, was sentenced to three years in prison for allowing what he said was his “blind loyalty” to Trump to lead him astray. “I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” he said.
ELIZABETH WILLIAMS VIA AP In this courtroom sketch, Michael Cohen addresses the court during his sentencing hearing, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018in New York federal court. President Donald Trump’s once-devoted lawyer and all-around fixer, was sentenced to three years in prison for allowing what he said was his “blind loyalty” to Trump to lead him astray. “I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” he said.

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