A federal judge has sentenced President Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen to three years in prison.
Cohen had pleaded guilty to tax evasion, lying to congress and violating campaign finance laws.
Kenneth Craig reported from the federal courthouse in Manhattan.
Michael Cohen arrived with his family at the federal courthouse in Manhattan Wednesday morning where he was sentenced to three years in prison. At the hearing, President Trump’s former personal attorney cried and apologized, telling the judge he takes full responsibility and blamed his actions on a blind loyalty to President Trump.
Cohen pleaded guilty to nine counts in two separate federal cases including tax evasion, making illegal hush money payments on President Trump’s behalf during the 2016 campaign and lying to Congress.
Michael Avenattie, who represents Stormy Daniels, one of the women who received a payment from Cohen to keep quiet about an alleged affair with President Trump, spoke after the sentencing.
“Michael Cohen is no hero,” said Avenattie. “He is no patriot. His choice time and time again was to degrade my client.”
Cohen, who once famously said he would take a bullet for the President, has been cooperating with federal investigators. And that’s one of the reasons his lawyers asked for no jail time.
But the judge said Cohen deserved a harsh punishment even though he gave credible information to the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia investigation.
President Trump has accused Cohen of lying to get himself out of trouble and said he thinks his former lawyer should serve a complete sentence.
The judge ordered Cohen to begin serving his sentence in March.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Cohen could have received up to five years in prison.
