Laura Shusterman is best known as the wife of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer. She is a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and investor who has kept a very low public profile compared to her husband. While Michael Cohen became a central figure in national political scandals, Laura stayed largely out of the spotlight, focusing on her family and private business matters. The couple has been married for decades, and she has stood by him through his legal battles, prison sentence, and public fallout with Trump. Understanding who Laura Shusterman is means looking at her immigrant roots, her family’s business dealings, and the quiet but important role she played behind the scenes.
Laura Shusterman Biography
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Laura Shusterman (also known as Laura Cohen) |
| Born | 1970 |
| Birthplace | Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Nationality | American (naturalized) |
| Ethnicity / Roots | Ukrainian-Jewish |
| Family Background | Immigrant family; moved to New York City in 1975 |
| Father | Fima Shusterman (taxi medallion businessman; pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 1993) |
| Mother | Ania Shusterman |
| Spouse | Michael Cohen (married 1994) |
| Children | Samantha Blake Cohen (daughter), Jake Ross Cohen (son) |
| Known For | Wife of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer |
| Business Interests | New York taxi medallion business, real estate investments |
| Role in Taxi Business | Co-ran family medallion business with husband and father |
| Connection to Donald Trump | Indirect—through her father (Fima) who introduced Michael Cohen to Trump |
| Legal Troubles | Mentioned in investigations; never charged |
| Public Profile | Very private; rarely gives interviews or makes public statements |
| Estimated Net Worth | Approximately $500,000 (personal stake; conservative estimate) |
| Current Status (2026) | Married to Michael Cohen; lives privately, largely out of media spotlight |
Early Life and Family Background
Laura Shusterman was born in 1970 in the Soviet Union, in what is now Ukraine. Her family were Jewish emigrants who left the country in search of a better life in the United States. In 1975, when Laura was a young child, her father moved the family to New York City. They arrived as immigrants with very little and eventually became naturalized American citizens. Growing up in an immigrant household shaped Laura’s understanding of hard work, family loyalty, and financial independence. Her parents, Ania and Fima Shusterman, built a new life from scratch, and their journey from Soviet Ukraine to New York set the foundation for the family’s future business success and, later, its complicated connections to power and politics.
Laura Shusterman’s Ukrainian Roots
Laura Shusterman’s Ukrainian heritage is a key part of her identity and has appeared repeatedly in news coverage about her family. She was born in Ukraine when it was still part of the Soviet Union, and her family’s decision to leave in 1975 was part of a larger wave of Soviet Jewish emigration. Her Ukrainian background is not just a personal detail; it became relevant in political discussions because her father’s connections in the Ukrainian and Russian immigrant communities later played a role in Michael Cohen’s business and political rise. Even after decades in the United States, Laura’s Ukrainian roots remained an important part of how she was described in media reports and public statements by her husband.
Father: Fima Shusterman
Fima Shusterman, Laura’s father, was a powerful and somewhat mysterious figure in New York’s immigrant business world. He arrived in the United States from Soviet Ukraine in 1975 and initially worked as a taxi driver. Over time, he built a small empire in the New York taxi medallion business, eventually owning a fleet of cabs and becoming a significant player in the industry. Fima was the one who introduced Michael Cohen to Donald Trump, according to multiple reports and a book by journalist Seth Hettena. However, Fima also had legal problems: in 1993, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the IRS in a tax fraud case. His business connections and legal history became closely tied to Michael Cohen’s own rise and fall.
Laura Shusterman And Michael Cohen First Met
Details about exactly how Laura Shusterman and Michael Cohen first met are not widely documented in public sources, but their connection appears to have been rooted in the close-knit Ukrainian immigrant community in New York. Cohen, who grew up on Long Island, was drawn into the taxi medallion business through his relationship with Laura’s father, Fima Shusterman. It was Fima who helped Cohen get started in the taxi business by providing loans and medallions. This business relationship likely brought Cohen into closer contact with the Shusterman family, leading to his courtship and eventual marriage to Laura. Their meeting was not a random encounter but rather a connection shaped by family, business, and shared immigrant networks in New York City.
Laura Shusterman and Michael Cohen’s Marriage
Laura Shusterman and Michael Cohen married in 1994. Their marriage has lasted for more than thirty years, spanning Cohen’s time as a Trump Organization executive, his legal troubles, and his time in prison. Throughout the public scandals, Laura has remained a loyal and private partner, rarely speaking publicly about her husband’s legal battles. Cohen has described his wife as someone who values privacy and family life, and he has said that his legal troubles subjected her and their children to harassment and threats. Their marriage is often described as one of the few stable parts of Cohen’s turbulent life, and Laura has been a constant presence by his side during court appearances and difficult moments.
Children, Samantha and Jake
Laura and Michael Cohen have two adult children: a daughter named Samantha Blake Cohen and a son named Jake Ross Cohen. Samantha graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, while Jake graduated from the University of Miami. Both children grew up largely out of the public eye, although they were occasionally photographed with their parents during Cohen’s legal proceedings, including his sentencing hearing in 2018. Cohen has spoken about how his legal troubles affected his children, saying they were subjected to harassment and insults because of his public role. Laura has been described as a protective mother who tried to shield her children from the worst of the media scrutiny surrounding their family.
Role in the Family Taxi Business
Laura Shusterman was not just a passive observer of the family’s business—she was actively involved in the Cohen family’s New York taxi medallion business. The couple made much of their wealth by leasing and selling taxi medallions, which are the metal plates that give drivers the legal right to operate yellow cabs in New York City. At the peak of the business, medallions were worth as much as $1 million each, and the Cohens owned dozens of them. However, the business also brought problems: reports indicated that Laura and Michael owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority related to their taxi medallions. The taxi business was the financial foundation of their early married life.
Her Connection to Donald Trump Through Michael Cohen
Laura Shusterman’s connection to Donald Trump did not begin with her husband—it began with her father. Fima Shusterman, Laura’s father, was the one who first introduced Michael Cohen to Donald Trump, according to reporting by journalist Seth Hettena and other outlets. A former federal investigator has even claimed that Trump hired Cohen as “a favor to Shusterman,” suggesting that Fima’s connections were the real reason Cohen got his job at the Trump Organization. Laura’s parents also reportedly co-owned property with the Cohens in Trump Tower in New York City, further deepening the family’s ties to Trump’s business world. So while Laura herself stayed out of politics, her family was deeply embedded in the network that brought Cohen close to Trump.
Laura Shusterman During Michael Cohen’s Legal Troubles
When Michael Cohen became the target of federal prosecutors in 2018, Laura Shusterman’s name surfaced in the investigations. The Wall Street Journal reported that prosecutors had evidence implicating Laura in potential criminal activity related to the taxi business, but she was never charged. President Trump himself mentioned Laura in a tweet, accusing Cohen of lying to protect his wife and father-in-law from jail. Throughout this period, Laura remained silent publicly, appearing by her husband’s side at court but never giving interviews or making statements. Cohen later said that his wife and daughter had been subjected to “harassment, insults and threats” because of the scrutiny on him. Laura’s role during this time was that of a quiet supporter who avoided the media firestorm.
Her Life During Michael Cohen’s Prison Sentence
Michael Cohen began serving a three-year prison sentence in May 2019 for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and lying to Congress. During his time in prison, Laura Shusterman maintained a low profile and focused on family life. Cohen was released to home confinement in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later completed his sentence. Throughout his incarceration, Laura remained a stabilizing presence, and Cohen has credited his family—especially his wife—for helping him endure the public humiliation and legal consequences. The couple’s marriage survived one of the most public legal downfalls in modern American politics, and Laura’s commitment to privacy helped her avoid becoming a target of further investigation or media attention.
Career and Business Interests
Laura Shusterman is described in biographical sources as a Ukrainian-American entrepreneur and investor. Much of her known business activity was tied to the family’s taxi medallion empire, which she ran alongside her husband and her parents. Beyond the taxi business, she has been involved in real estate investments and other family ventures. However, detailed information about her independent career outside the family business is limited, largely because she has deliberately kept a low public profile. Unlike her husband, who wrote books and hosted podcasts, Laura has never sought the spotlight. Her business legacy is closely intertwined with the Shusterman family’s broader financial network, which included taxi medallions, property, and connections to powerful figures in New York real estate and politics.
Net Worth and Financial Background
Estimating Laura Shusterman’s exact net worth is difficult because her finances are private and often mixed with her husband’s. However, reports suggest that the couple’s wealth was primarily built through the New York taxi medallion business, which at its peak was worth millions. At one point, the family’s medallions were valued at roughly $1.5 million, and they also owned property in Trump Tower and other New York real estate. For the purpose of this article, a conservative estimated figure of $500,000 is used to represent her personal financial stake, separate from her husband’s more publicly discussed debts and legal penalties. It is important to note that the taxi medallion business declined sharply with the rise of Uber and Lyft, reducing the family’s overall wealth from its peak.
Where Is Laura Shusterman Today?
As of 2026, Laura Shusterman continues to live a private life, largely away from the media spotlight. She remains married to Michael Cohen, who has stayed active as a political commentator and podcast host after his prison release and his public break with Donald Trump. The couple has faced financial pressures, including unpaid tax bills and the collapse of the taxi medallion market, but Laura has not pursued any public career or political role of her own. She is occasionally mentioned in news stories about her husband, but she does not give interviews or make public appearances. Her focus appears to remain on family, privacy, and managing the couple’s remaining personal and financial affairs after years of intense public scrutiny.
Legacy and Family Life
Laura Shusterman’s legacy is not one of public achievement or fame, but of quiet endurance and family loyalty. She was born into an immigrant family that built wealth through hard work and tough business dealings, and she carried that legacy into her marriage to Michael Cohen. While her husband became a household name for all the wrong reasons, Laura remained a background figure—a wife, mother, and business partner who chose privacy over publicity. Her story reflects the experience of many immigrant families in New York: the struggle to build a new life, the complicated ties between business and politics, and the cost of being connected to powerful people. Her legacy is ultimately about survival and discretion in the face of overwhelming public attention.
Conclusion
Laura Shusterman is a woman whose life has been shaped by her Ukrainian immigrant roots, her family’s ambitious business dealings, and her marriage to one of the most controversial figures in modern American politics. She is not a public figure by choice, yet her name appears in headlines because of the actions of her husband and her father. Her story shows how private lives can become entangled in public scandals, and how quiet loyalty can be a form of strength. From the taxi medallion business to the courtrooms of New York, Laura Shusterman has remained a constant, if silent, presence. Understanding her means looking beyond the headlines about Michael Cohen and recognizing the family history and personal choices that shaped her life.
Frequently Asked Question
What religion is Michael Cohen?
Michael Cohen is Jewish. He was raised in a Conservative Jewish home and attended a yeshiva day school as a child. His father was a Holocaust survivor, and Cohen has referenced this background in public statements. However, he has described himself as an “agnostic Jew,” indicating that while his cultural and familial identity is Jewish, his personal belief in God is not traditional.
Who are Donald Trump’s lawyers?
Donald Trump’s legal representation is handled by a mix of personal attorneys and lawyers now serving in his administration. His personal legal team has included firms like Sullivan & Cromwell, with attorneys such as Robert Giuffra leading his defense in civil and criminal appeals. Several of his former personal lawyers, including Todd Blanche and Will Scharf, have taken on senior roles within the government, such as Attorney General and White House Counsel.
Where is Michael Cohen now?
As of late 2026, Michael Cohen remains active in New York and Washington, D.C. He hosts a radio program on WABC Radio and has been spotted at public events, including a visit to the White House. He has also been at political conventions, indicating that he continues to be a public figure involved in media and political commentary.
Did Michael Cohen testify against Trump?
Yes, Michael Cohen testified against Donald Trump. He was a central witness in the 2024 New York hush money trial, providing testimony that helped lead to Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Cohen has stated that his testimony was truthful, even though he later claimed he felt “pressured and coerced” by prosecutors—he has not recanted the substance of his statements.
Who is Trump’s favorite lawyer?
There is no single, universally acknowledged “favorite” lawyer for Donald Trump, as his preferences have shifted over time. However, Todd Blanche has been described as a highly trusted legal figure; Trump called him “a very talented and respected Legal Mind” and elevated him to Acting Attorney General. Another key figure is Boris Epshteyn, a longtime adviser who has become one of Trump’s most influential legal strategists.
Who does Trump owe 83 million dollars to?
Donald Trump owes $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll. This amount stems from a defamation lawsuit in which a jury found Trump liable for defamatory statements he made about Carroll in 2019. While a federal appeals court temporarily spared him from paying the full amount pending a Supreme Court appeal, the judgment remains outstanding.
