Michael Cohen, the former lawyer to Donald Trump who once said he\u2019d take a bullet for the president, has been given a 36-month prison sentence.<\/p>\n
He is the first member of Mr Trump’s inner circle to be jailed over the special counsel’s inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.<\/p>\n
He has pleaded guilty to crimes including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.<\/p>\n
In a New York court on Wednesday Cohen lashed out at his former boss.<\/p>\n
The 52-year-old told Judge William Pauley that Mr Trump caused him to “follow a path of darkness rather than light”.<\/p>\n
He told the court his “weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump” and that he “felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds”.<\/p>\n
The sentencing was related to two separate cases brought by the Southern District of New York and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.<\/p>\n
Mr Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations for his role in making hush money payments to women who alleged affairs with Mr Trump.<\/p>\n
He will serve that term concurrently with a two-month sentence he was given for lying to Congress about a possible Trump Tower project in Moscow, a charge levelled by Special Counsel Mueller.<\/p>\n
The judge gave Cohen until 6 March to report to jail at the Otisville prison in upstate New York.<\/p>\n
In addition the jail term, he was also ordered to forfeit nearly $2m (\u00a31.6m).<\/p>\n
As he left the court, he did not pause to speak to the assembled media.<\/p>\n
Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n If there’s a lesson to be learned from the tale of the two Michaels, it’s that deals with federal prosecutors are best done quickly.<\/p>\n Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, when confronted by the special counsel’s office, was quick to co-operate. He may end up with a sentence that includes no jail time.<\/p>\n Michael Cohen, on the other hand, initially put up a legal fight. Prosecutors say he never fully co-operated. Now the 52-year-old is facing three years in prison.<\/p>\n Another message from the fate of the two Trump associates is that Mr Trump’s business dealings, not Russian election meddling, could present a greater legal threat to the president. According to Mr Cohen’s lawyer, his client had the “misfortune” of being the president’s personal lawyer, business partner and all-around fixer for more than a decade. When investigators began digging into his actions, they uncovered a variety of chargeable crimes.<\/p>\n By all accounts, Mr Trump’s larger business empire is getting similar scrutiny. His long-time accountant is co-operating with investigators.<\/p>\n There’s no telling where Mr Mueller’s Russia investigation will end up, but one thing is clear – it’s not the only shark circling the White House.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"