Cohen represented clients who allegedly staged car accidents for insurance money: report

Before he was President Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen worked as a personal injury lawyer reportedly covering clients who allegedly staged car accidents in order to sue for large sums of money.

Rolling Stone found in a new investigation that while working as a personal injury lawyer, Cohen covered clients affiliated with insurance fraud rings where people allegedly rented vehicles, purchased insurance and then crashed those vehicles into friends cars in order to receive a large payout.

Cohen never faced any charges of wrongdoing related to the cases, and Rolling Stone reports there is no evidence that he knowingly filed false claims.

One example reported by Rolling Stone is a case brought by State Farm, in which Cohen was listed as the defense attorney for four people charged with staging at least 10 accidents from 2000 to 2001 as part of a fraud ring. The case was granted a default judgment after Cohen’s clients chose not to contest charges.

The report comes as Cohen is under investigation for bank and tax fraud. 

FBI agents reportedly seized emails, tax documents and records related to his payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during a raid Cohen’s home, hotel room and Manhattan office last month. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement related to an affair Daniels says she had with Trump in 2006. 

It is unclear if they may have seized any information relating to his past work as a personal injury lawyer, according to Rolling Stone. 

Updated at 8:55 a.m.