Tiny Red HandsBack to overview

People in the record

Root dossierDonald J. Trump
All people files
People files

People in the record

Browse by documented cohort, then open the exact relationship, chronology, money path, and cited evidence attached to a person.

Prison & pardons

Michael Cohen

businesslegalpersonalpolitical
Open person dossier
Relationship to Trumpformer personal attorney and Trump Organization executivebusiness · legal · personal / 1 source

Former Trump Organization executive and Trump attorney who pleaded guilty in federal cases, served prison time, and was disbarred.

Completed three-year federal sentencecustody / 2021-11-22–2021-11-22Began three-year federal sentence at FCI Otisvillecustody / 2019-05-06–2019-05-06Disbarred in New Yorklegal / 2019-02-26Convicted in federal criminal caseslegal / 2018-12-12Convicted by guilty pleas in federal tax, bank, campaign-finance, and false-statement caseslegal / 2018-08-21–2018-11-29Former attorney turned cooperating witness and public criticrelationship / 2019-02-27–2019-02-27Former personal attorney to Donald Trumprelationship / 2019-02-26

Exact relationships

  1. personal attorney and Trump Organization executivebusinesslegaldocumented · 12 files · 19 source references
  2. former personal attorneybusinesslegalpersonaldocumented · 1 file · 1 source reference

Money, power & fallout

  1. AMI pays $150,000 for Karen McDougal's story and suppresses it before the electionPayment completed; conduct incorporated into Cohen's campaign-finance convictionpersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
    1. paymentAMI story-rights payment$150,000
      Paid by / source
      American Media Inc.
      Received by
      Karen McDougal
      realized · 2016-08-05 · observedPopulation AMI payment to Karen McDougal under the August 2016 agreementPeriod 2016-08-05 to 2016-08-05Basis Use the payment stated in Cohen's criminal plea record; do not treat promised editorial features as cash.Limits The source establishes the gross payment, not taxes, legal fees, or McDougal's net proceeds.Open cited evidence
  2. Cohen wires $130,000 through Essential Consultants to secure Daniels' silencePayment completed; Cohen convicted of campaign-finance offensepersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
    1. paymentEssential Consultants hush-money wire$130,000
      Paid by / source
      Michael Cohen through Essential Consultants LLC
      Received by
      Attorney for Stormy Daniels
      Financially affected
      Michael Cohen as initial funder
      realized · 2016-10-27 · observedPopulation Wire from Essential Consultants to the attorney for Stormy DanielsPeriod 2016-10-27 to 2016-10-27Basis Use the approximately $130,000 wire stated in the federal plea record.Limits The gross wire does not identify Daniels' net amount after legal or transaction costs.Open cited evidence
  3. Trump Organization pays Cohen $420,000 through monthly invoices labeled legal feesPayments completed; records later central to Trump's New York falsification convictionpersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 3 sources
    1. paymentTrump Organization reimbursement package$420,000
      Paid by / source
      Trump Organization
      Received by
      Michael Cohen
      Financially affected
      Trump Organization
      realized · 2017-12-05 · observedPopulation Twelve scheduled $35,000 payments to Cohen covering grossed-up expenses and bonusPeriod 2017-02-14 to 2017-12-05Basis Use the total and payment structure admitted in Cohen's federal plea; treat it as reimbursement/bonus flow separate from the underlying Daniels wire.Limits The total included tax gross-up, a technology allocation, and bonus; it is not all reimbursement for the $130,000 wire.Open cited evidence
  4. Federal agents search Cohen's office, hotel room, residence, and devicesSearch evidence used in cases ending in guilty pleaspersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
  5. Cohen pleads guilty and says campaign-finance crimes were directed by TrumpConvicted by guilty plea; completed sentence in 2021personal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 2 sources
  6. Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow projectConvicted; two-month term ran concurrently with three-year sentencepersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 2 sources
  7. Trump's former attorney receives three-year federal sentenceSentenced to three years in federal prison on December 12, 2018former personal attorney and Trump Organization executive · convicted · 1 source
  8. New York disbars Michael CohenDisbarred in New York; former Trump attorneyformer personal attorney · documented · 1 source
  9. Court record identifies Cohen as Trump's personal attorneyFormer personal attorneyformer personal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
  10. Cohen publicly breaks with Trump in sworn House testimonyFormer and openly adversarial Trump relationshippersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
  11. Cohen reports to federal prison to begin his three-year sentenceSentence completed November 22, 2021personal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 2 sources
  12. Probation officials return Cohen to prison during home-confinement negotiationsRemand ruled retaliatory two weeks laterpersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 2 sources
  13. Federal judge rules Cohen's return to prison was retaliation for his Trump bookRemand ruled unlawful; Cohen released to home confinementpersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 2 sources
  14. Cohen completes his three-year federal sentenceReleased; sentence completedpersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
  15. Cohen admits a $30,000 Trump Organization theft and reports $4.4 million in anti-Trump media incomeAdmissions made under oath; no separate theft charge reported in the cited sourcepersonal attorney and Trump Organization executive · documented · 1 source
    1. revenueReported books and podcasts income since 2020About $4.4 million
      Reported revenue source
      Book and podcast customers and platforms
      Reported revenue recipient
      Michael Cohen
      Financially affected
      Michael Cohen
      reported · 2024-05-20 · observedPopulation Gross income Cohen testified he earned from books and podcasts beginning in 2020Period 2020-01-01 to 2024-05-20Basis Use Cohen's sworn approximate total, comprising about $3.4 million from two books and $1 million from podcast activity and related merchandise.Limits Self-reported gross income is approximate and does not establish net profit, taxes, platform shares, or future earnings.Open cited evidence
    2. lossRedFinch reimbursement retained by Cohen$30,000
      Loss source
      Trump Organization
      Gain recipient
      Michael Cohen
      Loss or cost borne by
      Trump Organization
      realized · 2024-05-20 · observedPopulation Difference between $50,000 reimbursement claimed and $20,000 Cohen testified he paid RedFinchPeriod 2016-12-01 to 2017-12-05Basis Subtract Cohen's testified $20,000 vendor payment from the $50,000 technology reimbursement allocation; Cohen expressly characterized retaining the difference as theft.Limits The admission was trial testimony; the cited source reports no separate charge or civil recovery of this amount.Open cited evidence
Source: Jay Dixit · Rights/use: CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Modified: cropped and resized