Michael Cohen Sentenced To Three Years
[guest post by Dana]
Calling the charges that Cohen pled guilty to a “veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct,” and stating that Cohen had “lost his moral compass,” U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley sentenced Michael Cohen to three years this morning:
Michael Cohen, who as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer once vowed he would “take a bullet” for his boss, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to two women that he says was done at the direction of Trump.
The sentence was in line with what federal prosecutors asked for. Sentencing guidelines called for around four to five years behind bars, and prosecutors asked in court papers that Cohen be given only a slight break. He is ordered to surrender March 6.
Cohen read a statement at the sentencing hearing today:
“Today is the day that I am getting my freedom back.”
“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.”
“I stand before your honor humbly and painfully aware that we are here for one reason.”
“I take full responsibility for each act that I pleaded guilty to,” including those implicating the “President of the United States of America.”
“Today is one of the most meaning days of my life.”
My “weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump.”
“I have chosen this unorthodox path because the sooner that I am sentenced,” the sooner I can return to my family.
“I do not need a cooperation agreement in place to do the right thing.”
He then mentions his family members, by name, and says he brought pain and shame on his family. Mentions his mom, dad, and children, and says to them “I’m sorry.” Long pause.
“The president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world,” Cohen said mockingly, “calling me a rat.”
He said Trump tried to influence the proceedings that “implicate” him.
He apologized again to his family before wrapping up. His voice cracked with apparent emotion, as he apologizes to “the people of the United States” for lying to us.
“You deserve to know the truth and lying to you was unjust.”
Cohen also made a point to respond to President Trump’s accusation that he was weak:
“Recently the President tweeted a statement calling me weak and it was correct but for a much different reason than he was implying. It was because time and time again I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.”
Cohen had pleaded guilty to a total of nine federal charges, including several counts of tax fraud and campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress and banks.
Cohen has been ordered to voluntarily surrender on March 6, and has been ordered to pay financial penalties (forfeiture of $500,000, restitution of $1.4 million and two separate fines of $50,000 — one for Mueller’s case and another for the SDNY one).
Court reporter Adam Klasfeld, who was in the courtroom, tweeted the hearing as it happened. Read here for those details.
(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)
–Dana