Photo: Donald Trump with attorney Todd Blanche
On Monday, May 20, Michael Cohen, a former political aide to Donald Trump, admitted to stealing $60,000 from Trump's real estate conglomerate, the Trump Organization, because he "felt that Trump deceived him with the amount of his bonus at the end of 2016.” America.”
Stealing money from the Trump Organization, Cohen admitted, played a key role in the case against Trump, who has denied 34 counts against him.
The case centers on Cohen's $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Stormy Daniels received them before the start of Trump's successful 2016 re-election campaign to hide from voters the fact that she had a one-night stand with Trump ten years earlier.
Evidence presented in court showed that Trump returned the money to Cohen in 2017. While already president, he personally signed nine checks.
At the same time, Trump is accused of falsifying his business records, claiming that Cohen received compensation for work as a lawyer.
Cohen admitted that this was a refund of money he had previously paid to Stormy Daniels, not for legal work, and that Trump approved the scheme twice, including once from his Trump Tower apartment in New York and the second time – in the Oval Office of the White House, after he became president.
In total, according to Cohen, the amount of the settlement with Trump was $420,000: $130,000 – the refund, another 50,000 dollars for Red Finch, a technology firm hired to rig a poll to show that Trump was a highly rated businessman. At the same time, the amount doubled to $360,000 to cover Cohen's tax obligations, as well as the size of the bonus – $60,000 at the end of 2016.
“So, you stole from the Trump Organization?” asked Blanche.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen confirmed.< br />
Cohen later explained to Hoffinger: "I was angry about the reduction in (the size of his regular) bonus, and so I just figured it would be some kind of “self-compensation”" – to claim additional money, as part of the total $420,000 that Cohen told Allen Weisselberg, then the Trump Organization's chief financial officer.
Weisselberg is now serving a five-month sentence for perjury for lying. in a previous civil trial involving Trump, and he is not expected to testify in the current criminal trial.
However, Cohen, 57, is a flawed prosecution witness. He pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to Daniels, lying to a congressional panel and tax violations. He served 13.5 months in federal prison and another year and a half on home confinement.
Since then, he has frequently attacked Trump and said last week that he wants Trump to be convicted. If convicted, Trump could face probation or up to four years in prison.
Trump has denied Daniels' claim that he had an affair with her, as well as all criminal charges.
The case against Trump, 77, may be nearing its conclusion. Cohen is the last of 19 prosecution witnesses against Trump, the US president from 2017 to 2021.
Assuming Trump does not appear as a witness and his lawyers present only one or two or none One, Merchan told lawyers in the case that closing arguments could begin on May 28, after Memorial Day holiday next Monday in the United States.
Prepared by: Sergei Daga