A federal judge denied Michael Cohen's request to end his supervised release early, suggesting he likely committed perjury in past testimony. Cohen's attempt to lift the supervision based on his testimony in a civil fraud case against Trump was rejected by US District Judge Jesse Furman, who cited Cohen's escalating efforts to walk away from his acceptance of responsibility for his crimes. Cohen's attorney disputed the judge's contention, while the judge also declined to enact sanctions against Cohen's former attorney for citing non-existent cases in the filing, attributing the error to a misunderstanding of legal technology.
Michael Cohen, in a court document, admitted to unintentionally sending his former attorney, David Schwartz, fake legal case citations generated by an AI tool called Google Bard. Cohen, not being a lawyer, assumed Schwartz would verify the information before submission. Schwartz, on the other hand, mistakenly thought the cases were found by Cohen's current attorney, Danya Perry, and did not independently review them. Perry clarified she had no involvement with the citations. The issue arose when a federal judge questioned the existence of the cited cases in Cohen's request for early termination of supervised release. Both Cohen and Perry emphasized that there was no intent to mislead the court.
A federal judge has raised concerns that a lawyer for Michael Cohen, former lawyer for President Trump, may have included fake cases in a November filing. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman questioned the existence of three cases mentioned in the filing and has ordered the lawyer, David M. Schwartz, to provide copies of the cited decisions by December 19, 2023. Cohen, who has turned against Trump, recently criticized him for not testifying in his own civil fraud trial.
A federal judge has ordered Michael Cohen's former attorney, David Schwartz, to explain the court cases cited in Cohen's request for early termination of supervised release, as the judge believes "none of these cases exist." The judge instructed Schwartz to provide copies of the court decisions and clarify Cohen's involvement in drafting the motion. Cohen's new lawyer also could not verify the court cases. If Cohen had any involvement in the mix-up, it could further impact his credibility as he is expected to testify against Donald Trump in a criminal trial next year.
Former President Donald Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, sought an early end to his supervised release based on case law that may not exist, according to a federal judge in New York. Cohen cited three decisions in his petition, but the judge and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals could not find any evidence of these cases. The judge has ordered Cohen's former lawyer to provide copies of the cases and explain whether Cohen was involved in the apparent deception.
Stuart Seldowitz, a former aide to President Obama, has been released on supervised release after being charged with a hate crime for directing an Islamophobic rant at a halal cart vendor in New York City. Seldowitz repeatedly harassed the vendor, calling him a terrorist and making derogatory comments about Islam. His attorney claims that the allegations are not representative of Seldowitz's true character, but video evidence contradicts this. Seldowitz's former employer, a lobbying firm, has cut ties with him, stating that his actions were racist and unacceptable.
Former Harvard professor Charles Lieber was sentenced to supervised release and ordered to pay more than $83,000 in restitution and fines for lying to federal investigators about his ties to a Chinese-run science recruitment program and failing to pay taxes on payments from a Chinese university. Lieber was convicted of filing false tax returns, making false statements, and failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China. He was sentenced to time served, two years of supervised release, a $50,000 fine, and $33,600 in restitution to the IRS.
Former Harvard professor Charles Lieber was sentenced to supervised release and ordered to pay over $83,000 in fines and restitution for lying to federal investigators about his involvement in China's Thousand Talents Plan and failing to pay taxes on payments from a Chinese university. Lieber was convicted of two counts of filing false tax returns, making false statements, and failing to file reports for a foreign bank account in China. Prosecutors had recommended three months in prison, but Lieber was sentenced to time served, two years of supervised release, and a $50,000 fine.
Josh Duggar's prison sentence for child pornography charges has been extended by almost two months, with a new release date of October 2, 2032. The former reality star was found guilty in December 2021 and sentenced in May 2022 to almost 12-and-a-half years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and 20 years of supervised release. He is currently behind bars at a federal corrections facility in Texas. Josh's family members have spoken out about the legal saga, with his parents saying they will never stop praying for him, and his sister Jinger Duggar Vuolo calling the trial "one of the hardest things to talk about."
