Former Trump Lawyer, Key Witness Against Him, Denied Early Release from Probation

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Michael Cohen, once the personal lawyer of former President Donald Trump and a crucial witness against him in his New York state criminal prosecution, has been denied an early release from probation following his three-year prison sentence. Federal prosecutors argued that Cohen’s recent comments in a book and television appearance demonstrated that releasing him early from court supervision would not ensure rehabilitation and deterrence from future crimes.

U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman in Manhattan based his decision on Cohen’s credibility, which will come under scrutiny if a jury ever hears the state criminal case filed against Trump. Cohen claims to have made payments on Trump’s behalf to silence two women who alleged affairs with him before he became president.

Federal prosecutors highlighted Cohen’s recent public comments in which he falsely denied engaging in tax fraud and claimed that the charges against him were inaccurate. They pointed out that during his plea hearings, Cohen admitted to the crimes and stated that he was neither threatened nor forced to plead guilty. Prosecutors also noted that Cohen lied during a March television interview.

Cohen’s attorney, David M. Schwartz, argued for his client’s early release, citing his rehabilitation and cooperation with government authorities. However, federal prosecutors in Manhattan maintained that Cohen’s lies undermined his attempts at cooperation, leading them to oppose his request to be spared from the remaining year and a half of his probation.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including lying to Congress, violating campaign finance laws, bank fraud, and tax evasion. He was sentenced to three years in prison but served the majority of it at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak in prisons.

While federal prosecutors opted not to prosecute Trump for the payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, state prosecutors pursued the case based on Cohen’s testimony. Trump, the first ex-president to face criminal charges, pleaded not guilty to the 34 charges filed against him in April.

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