Ex-lawyer blames Trump ‘dirty deeds’ as he gets 3 years

Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen apologized Wednesday for covering up the “dirty deeds” of his ex-boss as he was sentenced to three years for multiple crimes including hush money payments implicating the US president.

Pleading for leniency in the courtroom before US District Court Judge William H. Pauley III, Cohen said he had been led astray by misplaced admiration for Trump.

An emotional Cohen, 52, said he accepted responsibility for his personal crimes and “those involving the president.”

Cohen’s lawyers had argued for no jail time after he admitted charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York of tax evasion, providing false statements to a bank and illegal campaign contributions.

Cohen also pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress – a charge stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into whether Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia to get him elected.

But Pauley said Cohen – as a lawyer – “should have known better” and sentenced him to three years in federal prison, ordering him to surrender to custody by March 6. He was also ordered to pay $2 million in fines and restitution.

Before Pauley passed sentence, Cohen addressed the court, saying it was his devotion to Trump that caused him to choose “a path of darkness over light.”