When did Michael Cohen go to prison and why?
MICHAEL Cohen went to prison in December 2018 for arranging payments to silence women who claimed to have affairs with President Trump. The ex-lawyer pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations and was sentenced to three years in jail. Here is more on the Cohen case. Who is Michael Cohen? Michael Cohen, 53, […]
MICHAEL Cohen went to prison in December 2018 for arranging payments to silence women who claimed to have affairs with President Trump.
The ex-lawyer pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations and was sentenced to three years in jail.
Here is more on the Cohen case.
Who is Michael Cohen?
Michael Cohen, 53, was President Donald Trump’s attorney from 2006-2018.
Cohen was vice president of the Trump Organization and a board member of the Eric Trump Foundation.
From 2017 to 2018 he was deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Most read in US News
Why did he go to prison?
Cohen went to prison for arranging payments to silence women who claimed to have had affairs with President Trump and for lying to Congress in 2016.
His sentencing stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the election.
Cohen said he violated campaign finance laws at the direction of Trump and “for the principal purpose of influencing” the 2016 presidential election according to the Washington Post.
In November 2018, Cohen entered a second guilty plea for lying to Congress about efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, reported CNN.
Upon pleading guilty to the charges, he was sentenced to a three year jail stint and ordered to pay $50,000 for tax evasions and campaign violations.
Cohen began serving his sentence in May of 2019 in a federal prison in Otisville, New York but was put on house arrest due to coronavirus concerns.
He was caught violating furlough as he was spotted dining at an Upper East Side restaurant in New York City.
In November 2021, Cohen was freed from prison after completing his three-year stint.
Speaking outside of a New York federal courthouse upon his release, he said he wanted to work with law enforcement to “ensure that others are held responsible for their dirty deeds and that no one is ever believed to be above the law.”
“My release today in no way negates the actions I took at the direction of and for the benefit of Donald J. Trump,” Cohen said.
“But it also does not negate the behavior of the Justice Department, Bill Barr, the Southern District of New York Prosecutors, Judge William H. Pauley the third, or Donald himself, in my initial incarceration and prosecution.”
“I will continue to provide information testimony documents and my full cooperation on all ongoing investigations,” he declared.
What did he say about Trump in his memoir Disloyal?
In Cohen’s tell-all book, Disloyal, he revealed Trump also committed tax fraud and lied to Melania to cover-up his affairs with other women.
“From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas, to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump’s clandestine lovers, I wasn’t just a witness to the president’s rise—I was an active and eager participant,” Cohen claims.
Cohen’s legal adviser said he was asked at a Manhattan federal courthouse to sign a document that would forbid him to publish a book during his sentence, according to The New York Times.
On July 2, Cohen tweeted: “Favorable ruling yesterday by the Court as I am close to completion of my book…”
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing President Trump for wanting to prevent him from releasing the book.
“We’re suing the federal government for imprisoning Michael Cohen in retaliation for his plans to publish a book critical of Trump,” the ACLU announced on July 20.
“We will defend the First Amendment from government censorship — as we have for a century now.”
In the book, written from Otisville Federal Prison, Cohen also admits he “ripped off” Trump’s business partners on his behalf.
He writes: “I stiffed contractors on his behalf, ripped off his business partners, lied to his wife Melania to hide his sexual infidelities, and bullied and screamed at anyone who threatened Trump’s path to power.”
The book is currently available for pre-order on its website.
Why is Michael Cohen in jail?
The attorney worked for Trump for more than a decade
- Michael Cohen went to jail for tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations.
- He pleaded guilty to all eight charges and was sentenced to three years in jail.
- He was released amid coronavirus concerns but will be under house arrest for the remainder of the sentence.
- Cohen is releasing a tell-all book describing his experience working for the Trump administration.
Did Michael Cohen run for New York Senate?
In 2010, Cohen briefly campaigned for a seat in the New York State Senate.
He was a registered Democrat until he officially switched parties and became a Republican in March of 2017.
Cohen tweeted: Made the official move today and joined the #RepublicanParty! It took a great man (@POTUS) to get me to make the switch. #MAGA
In October of 2018, Cohen re-registered as a Democrat in an effort to distance “himself from the values of the current” administration.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS