Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of President Donald Trump, is married with a daughter and son, who both attended his sentencing. He is also the son of a Holocaust survivor.
Cohen’s two children, Samantha Cohen and her brother, Jake, accompanied Michael Cohen to court in New York City on December 12, 2018, where he was sentenced to three years in prison for lying to Congress.
Cohen is alleged to have paid Stormy Daniels, who claims the money was to buy her silence over what she described as an affair with Trump.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Cohen’s Wife Is From Ukraine & They’ve Been Married for Two Decades
GettyMichael Cohen, with daughter Samantha Blake Cohen and wife Laura Shusterman
Cohen’s wife, Laura Cohen, is Ukrainian. In a statement he gave to the U.S. Senate, Cohen said, “My wife and I have been married for 23 years, and are now entering into the season of our lives when we get to watch our children become adults themselves. My daughter, who is at an Ivy League school, and my wife, who is of Ukrainian descent, have especially been subjected to harassment, insults and threats … some so severe I cannot share them in mixed company.”
Cohen also discussed his son, saying, “I was in Los Angeles with my son who dreams of playing division 1 baseball next year at a prestigious university like USC. We were visiting the campus, meeting with various coaches, and discussing his future. Media sources have been able to confirm these facts and I can provide you with proof.”
GettyLaura Shusterman (L), wife of Michel Cohen, and children Samantha Blake Cohen (C) and Jake (R), leave after the sentencing of their father, Michael Cohen.
Cohen owns a series of taxi medallions that might may have played a role in the FBI’s search. They own “at least 34 medallions through 17 LLCs,” according to The Real Deal. According to Buzzfeed, “Cohen, his wife and his in-laws hold a stake in more than 15 colorfully named taxi companies such as Golden Child Cab Corp. and Smoochie Cab Corp.” Buzzfeed reported that Cohen’s father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, “has been in the taxi business for decades, and was charged in the early 1990s with knowingly conspiring to defraud the IRS as part of a money laundering and tax fraud scheme.”
2. His Brother Bryan Helped Run a Financial Company in Ukraine
GettyMichael Cohen, a personal attorney for President Trump, departs from a House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill
Cohen has links to the Ukraine. His younger brother, Bryan, is also married to a Ukrainian woman. The brothers “were directors of International Ethanol of Ukraine, according to 2006 filings,” Newsweek reported.
According to Buzzfeed, before he became Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen “worked on behalf of a company controlled by …Viktor Topolov, a politician whose associates are members of the Russian and Ukrainian underworld.” Buzzfeed reported that Topolov “has also been investigated twice for money laundering and embezzlement,” and owned an ethanol company “with his longtime business partner, Alex Oronov.”
Bryan Cohen is married to Oronov’s daughter, according to Buzzfeed, which added that Cohen insisted he had only played a “small role” in the company. Here is the document that lists Michael Cohen’s ties to the company.
3. Cohen Shared a Controversial Photo of His Daughter Wearing Lingerie
Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen branded ‘creepy’ for posting picture of his daughter Samantha in underwear on… t.co/QKjfG3MiLT
Michael Cohen shared what some considered a cringe-worthy photo of his adult daughter wearing black lingerie. “So proud of my Ivy League daughter… brains and beauty channeling her Edie Sedgwick,” he wrote on Twitter with the photo of his daughter Samantha, then 21.
The tweet caused a firestorm on social media with some people accusing Cohen of being creepy. According to BBC, when a Twitter user wrote Cohen, “Most fathers don’t post lingerie shots of their daughters. I guess #Trump must be rubbing off on you,” Cohen retorted, “Beauty and brains you a-hole! It’s a modeling shot remake from an old Edie Sedgwick photo. #hater.”
TwitterSamantha and her dad Michael Cohen
On Instagram, Samantha Blake Cohen listed herself as “UPenn ‘18.” With one Instagram photo, she wrote, “My dad made me stand here because I match the wall ?.” Her posts showcase a glamorous life. “Another day another Cabernet,” she wrote with one Instagram photo.
4. Cohen’s Daughter Called Him ‘the Best Dad in the Whole World’
GettyLaura Shusterman (L), wife of Michel Cohen, and children Samantha Blake Cohen (C) and Jake (R).
On Instagram, Samantha Cohen wrote, “Happy birthday to the best dad in the whole world !!! ???” She captioned another photo, “fam, fam.”
In 2016, she posted another photo with her dad and wrote, “Happy Birthday to the best dad in the whole wide world !!!!!!!!!!!!! 50 never looked so good ?”
5. Cohen’s Father Survived the Holocaust
GettyDonald Trump has called the raid on Michael Cohen’s offices a “disgraceful situation.”
A 2011 profile by ABC News reported that Cohen was raised on Long Island. “His mother was a nurse and his father was a surgeon who escaped a Nazi concentration camp with his family during World War II,” the story reported.
He was first introduced to politics as a child when his parents’ neighbor “invited him to walk precincts with New York Mayor John Lindsay in Atlantic Beach, Queens and Brooklyn,” according to ABC News.