Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen returns to jail after refusing home arrest conditions

Michael Cohen, US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, who was serving a three-year sentence in federal prison and was released due to coronavirus concern in May, had now been returned to jail. According to reports, Cohen refused to accept the conditions of his home arrest and hence had to return to the prison. Cohen's lawyer Jeffrey Levine said that one of the conditions would have required his client to not speak with media in any form. Cohen's return to prison came days after he was spotted having dinner with his wife and another couple on July 2 at a posh French restaurant in Manhattan. 

Read: Trump's Former Lawyer Michael Cohen To Be Released From Prison

According to an international media report, Cohen had been serving a federal prison sentenced at FCI Otisville in New York after pleading guilty to numerous charges, including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress. Cohen reportedly visited the court on July 9 to negotiate the terms of his furlough and to convert it into home comfinement, but was taken back to prison after he refused to accept certain conditions. Cohen was one of the first persons to be jailed from Trump's inner circle after investigation into Russian meddling in 2016 election began. 

Read: AP Source: Ex-Trump Lawyer Cohen Being Released From Prison

Paying hush money to women

Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and 'fixer' as some would call him, was reportedly released from federal prison on May 21. Michael Cohen had completed a bit more than a year of a three-year sentence for his role in paying hush money to two women, the adult film actor and producer Stormy Daniels and the former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cohen reportedly returned to his New York home after he was released from prison due to concerns over coronavirus exposure as cases in the United States were in surge. 

Read: Donald Trump's Former Lawyer Michael Cohen To Serve Jail Term At Home Amid Pandemic

Read: Trump's Former Lawyer Michael Cohen Released From Prison Over Coronavirus Concerns

(Image Credit: AP)