Prosecutors think Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and self-described “fixer,” should serve serious time in prison for his various crimes, regardless of his recent cooperation.
In court documents filed late Friday afternoon, attorneys with the Southern District of New York said “the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life (and was evidently hidden from the friends and family members who wrote on his behalf).”
Last week, Cohen’s attorneys asked that U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley not sentence him to prison, noting Cohen has moved to “cooperate and take full responsibility for his own conduct” in a pre-sentencing memo.
But New York State prosecutors offered a decidedly less sympathetic view of the situation, saying Cohen’s years of illegal activity warranted a stiff sentence.
“After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen’s decision to plead guilty — rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes — does not make him a hero,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors noted that Cohen only began to cooperate with the Southern District of New York when he was facing imminent indictment, suggesting he wasn’t altruistically offering up information that would assist both offices in their investigations.
Prosecutors think Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and self-described “fixer,” should serve serious time in prison for his various crimes, regardless of his recent cooperation. In court documents filed late Friday afternoon, attorneys with the Southern District of New York said “the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life (and was evidently hidden from the friends and family members who wrote on his behalf).”
Last week, Cohen’s attorneys asked that U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley not sentence him to prison, noting Cohen has moved to “cooperate and take full responsibility for his own conduct” in a pre-sentencing memo.
But New York State prosecutors offered a decidedly less sympathetic view of the situation, saying Cohen’s years of illegal activity warranted a stiff sentence.
“After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen’s decision to plead guilty — rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes — does not make him a hero,” prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors noted that Cohen only began to cooperate with the Southern District of New York when he was facing imminent indictment, suggesting he wasn’t altruistically offering up information that would assist both offices in their investigations.
“Cohen first reached out to meet with the [special counsel’s office] at a time when he knew he was under imminent threat of indictment in this District. As such, any suggestion by Cohen that his meetings with law enforcement reflect a selfless and unprompted about-face are overstated,” the prosecutors wrote.
In a subsequent filing expected to drop Friday evening, Special Counsel Robert Mueller will offer sentencing recommendations for charges relating to their probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
This is a developing story, please refresh for updates.
Cover image: Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building on New York’s Park Avenue, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. In the latest filings Friday, prosecutors will weigh in on whether Cohen deserves prison time and, if so, how much. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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