Laura Shusterman, left, leaves federal court after Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, was sentenced, with children Samantha and Jake in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Cohen was... (Associated Press) 
 
 Laura Shusterman, left, leaves federal court after Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, was sentenced, with children Samantha and Jake in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment... (Associated Press) 
 
 NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the sentencing of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump (all times local): 
 
 2:15 p.m. 
 
 The U.S. attorney's office in New York says it won't prosecute the National Enquirer's parent company over its efforts to suppress an embarrassing story about Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. 
 
 The agreement was announced Wednesday shortly after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison. 
 
 Cohen's crimes included working with American Media Inc. to buy the silence of a model who says she had an affair with Trump. The president denies the affair. 
 
 Like Cohen, the tabloid publisher admitted it was trying to influence the election by protecting Trump from a damaging story. 
 
 As part of the deal, AMI acknowledged it made a $150,000 payment to the model "in concert" with the Trump campaign with the intent of influencing the election. 
 
 It requires AMI to cooperate with federal prosecutors in any investigation. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:40 p.m. 
 
 An adviser to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says the former political fixer will "state publicly all he knows" about President Donald Trump after special counsel Robert Mueller completes his investigation. 
 
 Lanny Davis said Wednesday that Cohen "continues to tell the truth about Donald Trump's misconduct over the years." 
 
 Davis, who was previously an attorney for Cohen, said he will assist Cohen in testifying before any Congressional committee "interested in the search for truth and the difference between facts and lies." 
 
 Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for orchestrating payments to alleged Trump mistresses, other financial misdeeds as well as lying to congressional investigators. He said nothing as he walked out of court. He has been ordered to turn himself in March 6 to start his sentence. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:20 p.m. 
 
 A judge says Michael Cohen's cooperation with prosecutors "does not wipe the slate clean" of his crimes. 
 
 U.S. District Judge William Pauley III made the comments Wednesday as he handed down a three-year prison sentence to the former lawyer for President Donald Trump. 
 
 Pauley said that Cohen "appears to have lost his moral compass" and that the lawyer "should have known better" than to dodge taxes, lie to Congress and violate campaign finance laws. 
 
 The 52-year-old Cohen pleaded guilty to those offenses. 
 
 He said Wednesday he takes "full responsibility" for the crimes he admitted committing. But he also said his "blind loyalty" to Trump made him feel a duty to "cover up" the president's "dirty deeds." 
 
 Trump had called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:05 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump's former lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison. 
 
 U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Wednesday that Michael Cohen deserved a harsh punishment for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress and arranging illicit payments to silence women who posed a risk to Trump's presidential campaign. 
 
 The judge rejected arguments by Cohen's lawyers that he should be spared jail time because he cooperated in multiple federal investigations involving Trump. 
 
 Cohen said his "blind loyalty" to Trump made him feel a duty to "cover up" the president's "dirty deeds." 
 
 Cohen's crimes included evading $1.4 million in taxes and misleading Congress about his talks with Russians about a Trump skyscraper project in Moscow. 
 
 Trump had called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:55 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen says his "blind loyalty" to Trump led Cohen to "cover up his dirty deeds." 
 
 Cohen said at his sentencing Wednesday that he takes "full responsibility" for the crimes he admitted committing. But he went on to say his allegiance to Trump led him "to take a path of darkness instead of light." 
 
 Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws. 
 
 Cohen, who used to be the president's self-described fixer, could get about four to five years in prison. 
 
 His lawyer is arguing for leniency, noting Cohen's cooperation with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence Trump's campaign. 
 
 But a prosecutor on the case against Cohen says Cohen's crimes showed a pattern of deceit, brazenness and greed. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:50 a.m. 
 
 A prosecutor with special counsel Robert Mueller's office says President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen "has provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation." 
 
 Jeannie Rhee didn't elaborate on that information as she spoke Wednesday at Cohen's sentencing. But she did say that Cohen "has sought to tell us the truth, and that is of the utmost value to us." 
 
 The 52-year-old Cohen served as Trump's personal lawyer and self-described fixer. Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws. 
 
 Cohen could get about four to five years in prison, but his lawyer is arguing for leniency. 
 
 His attorney, Guy Petrillo, says Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he cooperated with prosecutors. 
 
 ___ 
 
 11:25 a.m. 
 
 A defense lawyer says Michael Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he cooperated with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence President Donald Trump's campaign. 
 
 Cohen's lawyer, Guy Petrillo, told a judge Wednesday that Cohen "stood up to power and influence." 
 
 Petrillo spoke as Cohen faced sentencing after pleading guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws. 
 
 Cohen could get four to five years in prison, but his lawyers are arguing for leniency. 
 
 The 52-year-old served as Trump's personal lawyer. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:35 a.m. 
 
 The outspoken lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels has turned up at the federal courthouse in Manhattan where Michael Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced for crimes including a hush-money payment to the performer. 
 
 Michael Avenatti represented Daniels in a legal dispute with Cohen in which she sought to be released from the non-disclosure agreement. 
 
 Avenatti has bashed Cohen for months on cable television, saying President Donald Trump's former lawyer deserves to go to prison. 
 
 Cohen's sentencing will begin Wednesday at 11 a.m. 
 
 Cohen pleaded guilty to evading $1.4 million in taxes, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. 
 
 Prosecutors say the $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels exceeded legal limits. 
 
 His lawyers say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump. 
 
 New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:10 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump's former lawyer has arrived at the courthouse in Manhattan where he is scheduled to be sentenced for evading taxes, lying to Congress, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. 
 
 Michael Cohen was accompanied Wednesday by his wife and two college-aged children. He didn't stop to speak with a crowd of reporters. 
 
 Cohen is facing the possibility of four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency. 
 
 They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump. 
 
 New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time. 
 
 Cohen pleaded guilty to evading $1.4 million in taxes. 
 
 He also admitted misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:05 a.m. 
 
 A lawyer who made his career protecting President Donald Trump is set to learn whether cooperating with federal investigators will lessen his punishment for dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws. 
 
 Michael Cohen's sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. at a courthouse in Manhattan. 
 
 He could get around four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency. 
 
 They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump. 
 
 Cohen pleaded guilty to misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump. 
 
 Cohen also dodged $1.4 million in taxes. 
 
 New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen a substantial prison term. ||||| Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. 
 
 By Tom Winter and David K. Li 
 
 The company that publishes the National Enquirer admitted that it paid $150,000 in hush money to silence alleged mistresses of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump prior to the 2016 election, prosecutors said Wednesday. 
 
 The publisher, American Media Inc., will avoid prosecution by stipulating that it worked with Trump's campaign to buy the silence of women — who have identified themselves as adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal — ahead of the vote two years ago, prosecutors said. 
 
 The agreement between prosecutors and AMI was signed and dated Sept. 21. 
 
 Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for lying to investigators about the hush-money operation. 
 
 "As a part of the agreement, AMI admitted that it made the $150,000 payment in concert with a candidate’s presidential campaign, and in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate," according to a statement by the U.S. Attorney's Office in New York. 
 
 "AMI further admitted that its principal purpose in making the payment was to suppress the woman’s story so as to prevent it from influencing the election." 
 
 The practice, known in the industry as "catch-and-kill," paid women for the exclusive rights to their story, with the intention of never actually publishing them. 
 
 A representative for AMI and the company's CEO, David Pecker, a long-time ally of Trump's, declined comment on Wednesday. 
 
 AMI officials will avoid any prosecution as long as they continue to cooperate with investigators, prosecutors said. 
 
 "Assuming AMI’s continued compliance with the agreement, the Office has agreed not to prosecute AMI for its role in that payment," according to the statement by the U.S. Attorney's office. 
 
 "The agreement also acknowledges, among other things, AMI’s acceptance of responsibility, its substantial and important assistance in this investigation, and its agreement to provide cooperation in the future and implement specific improvements to its internal compliance to prevent future violations of the federal campaign finance laws."
– The US attorney's office in New York says it won't prosecute the National Enquirer's parent company over its efforts to suppress an embarrassing story about Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, the AP reports. The agreement was announced Wednesday shortly after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison. Cohen's crimes included working with American Media Inc. to buy the silence of women who say they had affairs with Trump. The president denies the allegations. Like Cohen, the tabloid publisher admitted it was trying to influence the election by protecting Trump from a damaging story. As part of the deal, AMI acknowledged it made $150,000 in hush money payments "in concert" with the Trump campaign with the intent of influencing the election. Per NBC News, the payments went to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The deal, which was signed and dated Sept. 21, requires AMI to cooperate with federal prosecutors in any investigation. (Click for more on Cohen, who got some leniency.)