en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_conspiracy
2 corrections found
uttering fraudulent documents
Michael Cohen was not convicted of an offense called "uttering fraudulent documents" in the federal cases cited here. Prosecutors said his crimes included tax evasion, false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and false statements to Congress.
Full reasoning
The article misstates one of Michael Cohen's federal crimes. In the Southern District of New York sentencing memorandum, prosecutors summarized Cohen's four offenses as "willful tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and making false statements to Congress." That list does not include any charge described as "uttering fraudulent documents."
Because the official court filing identifies the offense as making false statements to a financial institution, the article's wording incorrectly labels the conviction.
2 sources
- United States v. Michael Cohen — Government's Sentencing Memorandum
"These crimes – willful tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and making false statements to Congress – were distinct in their harms..."
- Michael Cohen Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison | U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
The U.S. Attorney's Office described Cohen's conduct as including tax evasion, false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and false statements to Congress.
with the term "Un-indicted co-conspirator number 1" used instead
The court filings did not use the phrase "Un-indicted co-conspirator number 1." They referred to Trump as "Individual-1" (or "Individual #1" in Cohen's congressional testimony).
Full reasoning
This phrase is wrong as a matter of record. In the federal sentencing memorandum in Michael Cohen's case, prosecutors referred to Trump as "Individual-1". Michael Cohen's later congressional testimony likewise stated: "For the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump."
So the article does not merely paraphrase the label differently; it substitutes a specific phrase that was not the designation used in the cited proceedings.
2 sources
- United States v. Michael Cohen — Government's Sentencing Memorandum
The memorandum identifies Trump as "Individual-1," e.g., "the owner ('Individual-1') of a Manhattan-based real estate company (the 'Company')."
- Hearing with Michael Cohen, Former Attorney to President Donald Trump | Congress.gov
Cohen's testimony states: "For the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump."