A Russian immigrant who is partners with President Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen struck a plea deal with prosecutors on Tuesday, potentially signaling he might turn against Cohen.
The New York Times reported lawyers for Evgeny Freidman were able to negotiate five years probation for their client in exchange for his cooperation. He was facing tax fraud and grand larceny charges that could have landed him in prison for the rest of his life.
The plea deal knocked the charges down to one count of evading taxes to the tune of $50,000.
Freidman and Cohen are longtime partners in a New York City taxi business. The Times noted Freidman will now help government prosecutors in state or federal investigations, which might be designed to force Cohen to talk to the feds about Trump.
Cohen has come under fire as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. FBI agents raided two offices, a hotel room, and an apartment tied to Cohen in April. He is reportedly being investigated for hush money payments he has sent to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, along with his consulting business that brought in nearly $1 million after Trump won the 2016 election.
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