Judge grants Michael Cohen's request to delay prison sentence
A federal judge in New York granted Michael Cohen's request to delay the start of his by 60 days, meaning President Trump's former lawyer and fixer will not have to report to prison until May 6.
Cohen, who was sentenced in December, was scheduled to report to prison on March 6. Citing a recent shoulder surgery and the time needed to prepare for anticipated testimony before Congress, his attorneys had asked Judge William Pauley to postpone the surrender date.
"We thank the court for granting the postponement of Mr. Cohen's surrender date to May 6. As we have previously stated, Mr. Cohen underwent serious shoulder surgery and this extra time allows Mr. Cohen to continue his physical therapy. In addition, he will be able to prepare for the expected testimony next week before Congressional Committees, which he welcomes," Cohen's attorneys Mike Monico, Barry Spevack and Lanny Davis wrote in a statement to CBS News.
Cohen was handed down a three-year sentence for violating campaign finance law "in coordination with and at the direction" of the president by paying two women to remain silent during the 2016 campaign about their alleged affairs with Mr. Trump. The president has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
In a separate case, Cohen was also sentenced to two months in prison after pleading guilty in November to lying to Congress about his involvement in an effort to build a "Trump Tower" in Moscow during the 2016 campaign. In the plea agreement, Cohen admitted to lying to the Senate and House intelligence committees about the project and the extent to which then-candidate Trump and his family were involved.
Cohen agreed to cooperate with special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. elections.