President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen will get two more months of freedom to deal with a shoulder injury before he has to turn himself in for prison, a judge ruled.
In December, Cohen was sentenced by Manhattan federal Judge William Pauley III to three years for his role in a hush-money scheme, a sentence which he was supposed to begin serving on March 6.
But on Wednesday, Pauley granted Cohen’s application to extend that date until May 6 to give him time to recover from shoulder surgery, according to new court documents.
Cohen’s lawyer, Michael Monico, wrote in a letter to Pauley on Wednesday that Cohen “recently underwent a serious surgical procedure and he needs to undergo intensive post-surgical physical therapy.”
Monico also said Cohen is set to testify before three congressional committees at the end of the month, which Monico says will require preparation that will “limit the time [Cohen] has to get his affairs in order and spend time with his family.”
Cohen copped a plea in August for arranging to pay hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal for their claims that they had affairs with Trump.
In November, Cohen pleaded guilty a second time — in a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller — for lying to Congress about trying to broker a real estate deal in Russia on behalf of Trump during the 2016 presidential race.