Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of United States President Donald Trump, was on Wednesday sentenced to three years in prison for multiple offences, including lying to the US Congress and for facilitating illegal hush payments to two women who allegedly had affairs with Trump, reported The Guardian.
In August, Cohen had pleaded guilty in a New York court to eight counts of tax crimes, making illegal campaign contributions and admitted that he made pre-election hush payments, including to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
At the court on Wednesday, Cohen said he had committed the crimes out of “blind loyalty” to Trump. “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 was quoted as saying. “I know now, in fact, there is little to be admired.”
He told the judge: “I take full responsibility for each act that I pled guilty to. The personal ones to me and those involving the president of the United States of America. It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.”
Cohen has to surrender in prison on March 6, 2019. He must also pay a $50,000 fine for lying to the Congress about a proposed real-estate deal in Russia by the Trump Organization, reported CNBC.
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