Trump ex-lawyer gets 3 years for crimes

Michael Cohen to report to prison in March

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former longtime personal lawyer, was sentenced Wednesday to three years behind bars by a federal judge in New York.

Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty to several crimes including lying to Congress about a project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while working for the president's organization in 2016, and later that year making hush money payments to an adult actress who alleges a lurid affair with Trump.

Cohen's sentence is the longest to be handed down in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential race and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Cohen also pleaded guilty in a separate federal case involving tax and bank fraud charges.

Prosecutors had sought up to 63 months in prison for Cohen.

He has been ordered to report to prison March 6.

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