“They were omitted, your honor, as opposed to being false,” Mr. Cohen said.
When the judge pressed him — “Well, you knew it was false; that it falsely depicted your financial condition, didn’t you?” — Mr. Cohen acquiesced, saying, “Yes, your honor.”
Throughout the hearing, Mr. Cohen maintained a look of grim resignation, pursing his lips and nodding slightly when the judge advised him of his rights.
After one question, he paused and his voice almost seemed to disappear.
“Do you understand,” Judge Pauley asked, “that you can change your mind right now and refuse to enter a plea of guilty?”
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Cohen responded, in a voice far reduced from its normal bold tenor.
When Judge Pauley also asked Mr. Cohen if he understood that he could face as many as 65 years in prison, Mr. Cohen’s voice began to crack, and he appeared to fight back tears.
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Cohen said softly.
Judge Pauley, appointed to the federal bench in 1998 by President Bill Clinton, was randomly assigned to Mr. Cohen’s case. He scheduled Mr. Cohen’s sentencing for Dec. 12.
As the hearing ended and the courtroom began to empty, Mr. Cohen stood quietly with his lawyers, Guy Petrillo and Amy Lester; Ms. Lester patted him gently on his left shoulder. They left without offering any comment, and soon Mr. Cohen was walking to a waiting black Buick on Worth Street.
This scene played out before scores of reporters and camera crews enclosed behind police barricades. There was also a crowd of onlookers, some of whom wore shirts with slogans like “treason” and “Mueller Time.” Hecklers shouted “guil-ty! guil-ty!” and “lock him up!”
After Robert S. Khuzami, the deputy United States attorney, made a short statement outside the courthouse, one woman shouted, “Thank you!” and some onlookers applauded.
