Report: Cohen Could Have Faced Up to 15 Years in Prison for Embezzling From Trump
Experts told the New York Post that if Michael Cohen had been charged and convicted of stealing $60,000 from former President Donald Trump, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison.
In the legal expense trial of the former Trump attorney, Cohen admitted to jurors that he stole money from Trump’s company. The defense lawyers focused on Cohen’s misdeeds to attack his credibility, as reported by The Associated Press.
The trial resumed with the defense cross-examining Cohen, whose testimony last week directly linked Trump to alleged reimbursement of a payment to silence allegations of an extramarital affair.
Defense lawyers have been questioning Cohen extensively about his criminal history and past lies to portray him as untrustworthy and on a vendetta against the former president.
Under questioning from defense attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen confessed to pocketing cash that was meant to reimburse a $50,000 payment to a technology firm. However, he had only given the firm $20,000, resulting in a $30,000 difference that brought his total theft to $60,000.
Politico reported that Cohen could have been charged with second-degree grand larceny for stealing over $50,000, which is a class C felony carrying a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison.
Although the statute of limitations for grand larceny has expired, experts believe that getting Cohen to admit to the theft was still beneficial for Trump’s defense.
Jeffrey Rodack, a veteran news editor who has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years, provided this report.
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