(UnitedHeadlines.com) – During his testimony on May 20, Michael Cohen, the former attorney for former President Donald Trump, admitted to stealing $60,000 from the Trump Organization.
Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, asked Cohen directly if he stole money from the Trump Organization, with Cohen responding, “Yes, sir.” The admission that he stole the money comes after his testimony about a repayment made to Cohen for his $130,000 hush money payment he made with his own money to former adult film star Stormy Daniels for her not talking about her claim of an alleged 2006 affair with Trump. The repayment also included reimbursement for paying an alleged $50,000 to tech company Red Finch, with Cohen testifying he only gave Red Finch’s CEO $20,000 for the company to rig a poll of the “most famous businessmen” in Trump’s favor.
According to Cohen, the repayment, calculated by himself and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, was “grossed up” to adjust for the taxes he would owe on the reimbursement, which would have to be declared on his taxes as income. It also included the $50,000 payment to Red Finch and $130,000 to Daniels.
During his testimony, Cohen admitted to lying to Weisselberg about how much he paid Red Finch and keeping the difference paid in the reimbursement. Blanche then asked Cohen if the $30,000 “grossed up” in his repayment was $60,000, and Cohen responded, “Yes.”
Cohen testified that while he had told “multiple” prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office about the stolen funds, he never faced charges related to the stolen money.
When Blanche asked Cohen if he had repaid the money stolen from the Trump Organization, Cohen replied, “No, sir.” He admitted he took the extra $60,000 because he was “angry” about a 2/3 reduction in his bonus, which had been cut from $150,000 to $50,000. Cohen testified that keeping the money was a form of “self-help,” noting that he was “not going to let him have the benefit this way.”
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