Michael Cohen’s Taxi Partner Enters Plea Deal, Suggesting Cooperation

A longtime business partner of Michael D. Cohen, the personal lawyer of President Donald Trump, has pleaded guilty to tax evasion in a deal that allows him to dodge prison time, indicating that he is cooperating with prosecutors.

Evgeny Freidman, a taxi operator who allegedly owed some $ 5 million in back taxes, entered into the surprise plea deal in Albany on Tuesday.

His lawyer, Patrick Egan, said he was satisfied with the guilty plea. Freidman — the so-called Taxi King of New York who operated taxis for Cohen’s family and others — will serve five years of probation for evading $ 50,000 in taxes.

Egan declined to comment on whether his client was cooperating with federal prosecutors in Manhattan who are investigating Cohen’s financial dealings.