Who is Michael Cohen’s wife, Laura Shusterman?
MICHAEL Cohen, formerly Donald Trump's personal lawyer during his presidency, has been married for over two decades.
The two have battled multiple federal tax scandals throughout their marriage.
Who is Michael Cohen's wife, Laura Shusterman?
Michael Cohen married Laura Shusterman in 1994.
The Cohens have a daughter, Samantha Blake Cohen, and a younger son Jake Ross Cohen.
Laura's Ukrainian father, Fima Shusterman, introduced Michael Cohen to Donald Trump, longtime Associated Press reporter Seth Hettena wrote in his book, Trump / Russia: A Definitive History.
Laura Cohen's parents reportedly co-own property with the Cohens in Trump Tower in New York City.
Michael and Laura made their mass fortune from New York City taxi medallions.
In 2017, The Daily News reported that the pair owes the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tens of thousands in unpaid taxes.
During Cohen's testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017, Cohen shared the stresses that had come upon his family.
He said: "My wife and I have been married for 23 years and are now entering into the season of our lives when we get to watch our children become adults themselves.
"My daughter, who is at an Ivy League school, and my wife, who is of Ukrainian descent, have especially been subjected to harassment, insults, and threats … some so severe I cannot share them in mixed company."
What did Michael Cohen claim in his memoir?
In 2019 Cohen was hit with $1.5 million in fines and restitution for crimes that included violating Trump campaign finance law by paying $130,000 in hush money in 2016 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had a 2006 affair with Trump.
He was also sentenced to three years in prison.
Cohen has always maintained he was made a "scapegoat" by the government and was cornered into pleading guilty.
In September 2020, Cohen released a book about his time under Trump, titled Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.
The public quickly pushed his memoir to the number one spot on Amazon's best sellers.
Cohen wrote in the book that Trump was "a cheat, a mobster, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man."
Cohen also wrote about being advised by his lawyer that if he didn't plead guilty to tax evasion, lying to Congress, and misrepresentation to a bank, the government would file an 85-page indictment, drag him out of his apartment on national TV, and would also indict his wife.
"It was like getting sucker-punched in the gut," he wrote of the government going after his wife.
He told The Sun: "If it wasn't for the threats against my wife, I would never have pled guilty. I was never going to put her in harm's way.
"I had paid millions in taxes, I had never filed one late tax return, and then there's an error, no problem. Everybody else gets the opportunity to sit down with an IRS agent to work it out, not me."
Is Michael Cohen still in prison?
Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2018 after pleading guilty to several charges, including those concerning campaign finance and lying to Congress.
He spent around 13 months behind bars and a year and a half in home confinement.
His sentence was reduced due to good behavior and he was released on November 22, 2021.
On May 13, 2024, Cohen testified during Trump's hush-money trial.
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He said his job was to do "whatever" Trump wanted. "The only thing that was on my mind was to accomplish the task, to make him happy."
He also detailed Trump's alleged affair with Karen McDougal, claiming that the former president told him to "make sure [the story] doesn't get released."