The prison where President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to start serving his three-year sentence on Monday over hush money payments made to buy women's silence over alleged affairs with Trump is set up like a "Jewish heaven" for white-collar criminals, one prison consultant has said.
Cohen, 52, was sentenced to a three-year prison term last year for his role in orchestrating hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, ahead of the 2016 election, as well as for unrelated financial crimes.
The lawyer, who has alleged that Trump directed him to make the payments, is expected to report to the Federal Correctional Institute in Otisville, New York—about 70 miles northwest of New York City—to start serving his sentence on Monday.
Cohen is expected to be living in dorm-like accommodations at the prison's minimum-security camp, which prison consultants told Reuters is considered an ideal destination for Jewish inmates due to the range of services it offers to accommodate their faith.
"He's going to what I like to refer to as 'Jewish heaven,'" Larry Levine, founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants, said.
Levine, who previously served a 10-year prison sentence ending in 2007 for racketeering and other crimes, said the Otisville prison is one of very few to have a full-time rabbi, as opposed to other federal prisons, which have part-time "contract rabbis."
Michael Frantz, another prison consultant who also previously served time, said Otisville is also considered ideal for Jewish inmates as it has a wider selection and availability of kosher food.
Included on the prison's menu, which is listed on its website, is matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and rugelach, with all kosher items marked with a "K." Additionally, the facility's visiting room includes kosher vending machines, while its commissary also sells skullcaps for $6.
Prison consultants also say that unlike more tightly-controlled facilities, Otisville's camp is not fenced in and inmates can expect to enjoy more freedom of movement.
Working conditions for inmates are also considered to be better than at other prisons, consultants said, with inmates being given "busy work" such as cleaning, to do for a small handful of hours during the day. Prison work shifts at the Otisville facility are also arranged to accomodate daily prayer sessions and Sabbath observances, according to The New York Times.
The rest of their time can be used recreationally, with inmates provided access to a basketball court, tennis area and baseball field, as well access to weights and other exercise equipment.
Ultimately, while the Otisville facility is still a prison, Benjamin Brafman, a high-profile defense lawyer who has represented defendants who have requested to serve their time there, told the Times that the site has been "carved...out as a special location to put Jewish inmates" where they can practice their faith while serving out their sentence.
In a statement sent to Newsweek, Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said that while his client serves his sentence, he plans to "continue to be accessible to Congress and to federal, state and local law enforcement."
Cohen, Davis said, "may be sentenced within the walls of a federal correctional institution. But, the truth has no walls."
Davis also hit out at what he called the "selective prosecution and disproportionate sentencing against Michael."
"I will continue questioning why Michael is the only person within the Trump organization to be prosecuted for crimes committed at the direction of and for the benefit of Mr. Trump," Davis said.
"I am confident that when he returns, Michael will continue to be appreciated by the many millions of Americans who admire the courage he showed in standing up to Donald Trump's hate machine and putting his family and country first," the attorney added. "I wish him and his beautiful family God's speed. I intend to continue to help him both as a lawyer and his friend."
This article has been updated with a statement from Michael Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Chantal Da Silva is Chief Correspondent at Newsweek, with a focus on immigration and human rights. She is a Canadian-British journalist whose work ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
