Ex-Och-Ziff Manager Says Bribe Case Shame Is Punishment Enough

The former European head of Och-Ziff Capital Management Group told a U.S. judge that he shouldn’t be sent to prison for his minor role in a bribery scandal, because the public shame was punishment enough for his crime of lying to investigators.

Michael L. Cohen, 48, was the only employee charged in a federal bribery probe of more than $100 million that was paid to government officials across Africa. Och-Ziff agreed in 2016 to pay $400 million in fines and co-founder Dan Och paid a $2 million penalty. Cohen is slated to be sentenced Nov. 19.

“The stress, embarrassment ...