Michael Cohen sentencing: Trump's former lawyer attacks president's 'dirty deeds' as judge hands him three years in prison
Cohen given jail term over tax fraud and hush money payments to two women who have alleged affairs with president
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Your support makes all the difference.Michael Cohen has warned that he has more to say about what he called the “dirty deeds” of Donald Trump as the president's former lawyer and fixer was sentenced to three years in prison for facilitating payments to two women who allege affairs with Mr Trump.
Cohen was sentenced to 36 months for tax fraud and his role in the payment of hush money to adult actress Stormy Daniels and former playboy model Karen McDougal who said they had affairs with Mr Trump before the 2016 presidential election. The judge in a district court in New York also handed Cohen an extra two months for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia. Cohen had pleaded guilty to the charges.
The payments have implicated Mr Trump directly in criminal conduct according to a court filing from prosecutors last week, which said that Cohen was working in co-ordination with the president.
Cohen's adviser Lanny Davis, who was his attorney for the case, said after the sentencing that Cohen will disclose more information concerning Mr Trump, once Robert Mueller wraps up his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion with Trump campaign officials.
“At the appropriate time, after Mr Mueller completes his investigation and issues his final report, I look forward to assisting Michael to state publicly all he knows about Mr Trump – and that includes any appropriate congressional committee interested in the search for truth and the difference between facts and lies,” Mr Davis said in a statement.
“Mr Trump's repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts,” Mr Davis added.
Cohen is due to surrender and begin his sentence on 6 March, 2019. He must also forfeit $500,000, restitute $1.4m, and pay a $50,000 fine.
US District Judge William H Pauley III said Cohen deserved a harsh punishment for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress and arranging illicit payments to silence women who posed a risk to Trump's presidential campaign. Those payments have directly implicated the president in criminal.
“While Mr. Cohen pledges to help in further investigations that is not something the court can consider now,” the judge added.
The sentencing capped a stunning about-face for Cohen who had previously said he would “take a bullet” for the president.
In an emotional statement to court which included tears, Cohen described his disillusionment with Trump and that he had committed his crimes out of “blind loyalty” to the president.
“I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired,” Cohen said. “I know now, in fact, there is little to be admired.”
“It was my own weakness and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light,” Cohen said. “I felt it was my duty to cover up his own dirty deeds,” referring to Mr Trump.
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The judge has sentenced Cohen to 36 months, or three years, of prison time.
Judge Pauley said that, as Cohen is a lawyer, he "should have known better" than to commit these crimes.
In addition to three years of jail time, Cohen must forfeit $500,000, offer restitution of $1.4 million, and pay a fine of $50,000.
Cohen's family just walked out of court to a car, surrounded by security staff. There are around 100 photographers and journalists waiting for Cohen himself to leave.
Cohen has just left the courthouse to clamouring journalists. He entered the car and left without comment.
Michael Avenatti -Story Daniels lawyer - is speaking outside court He says Cohen is “no hero”
Mr Avenatti says that he and his client will not stop fighting to get the truth
Michael Avenatti, attorney of adult film actress Stormy Daniels, has commented on Cohen's sentence while standing outside the court house. "Only when his back was against the wall and he was facing prison time did he decide to come clean," Mr Avenatti said.
"He deserves every day of the 36-month sentence that he will serve."
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