US prosecutors seek 'substantial' prison term for Cohen despite cooperation

U.S. prosecutors on Friday said Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, should serve a "substantial term of imprisonment" with a modest amount of credit for his cooperation.

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced next Wednesday in New York federal court. He pleaded guilty to federal charges and cooperated in multiple state and federal probes over several months, including having seven meetings with special counsel Robert Mueller's team.

Cohen's lawyers, in their own filing last week, said he should be spared any prison time.

Meanwhile, Mueller sought no additional jail time for Cohen beyond sentence sought by New York prosecutors, according to the court filing.

Mueller made a separate sentencing recommendation on a charge that Cohen lied to Congress about discussions over the construction of a proposed Trump Organization skyscraper in Moscow. Cohen pleaded guilty to that charge last week. In August, he admitted to campaign finance fraud and bank frauds, among other charges.

Trump, who has called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt" and repeatedly denied wrongdoing, said earlier this week that Cohen had lied about Trump's business dealings in Russia to get reduced jail time.

Mueller's office has charged or secured convictions against more than two dozen Russian nationals and entities, as well as a number of Trump's associates. The Manhattan prosecutors' charges against Cohen stemmed from a referral from Mueller's team.

Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.