A dozen of the 22 cabs operated in Chicago by President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael D. Cohen have been suspended by city regulators since New Year’s Day for failing to have insurance.
Over the past 11 months, those dozen cabs owned by Cohen have been cited with 89 violations that include having expired insurance and license plates and failure to have a licensed manager at the company that dispatched those cabs on Chicago’s streets, according to Lilia Chacon, a spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, which regulates taxis.
Cohen’s dozen cabs face fines of $2,000 a day if city regulators or police officers find them operating in Chicago.
Cohen, of course, has had more pressing concerns lately. His law office and home in New York City were raided Monday by FBI agents looking for records regarding his $130,000 payment he made to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her from discussing her allegations she had sex with Trump years ago. Trump has denied the affair and says he knew nothing about Cohen’s payment to Daniels.
The FBI also seized records relating to Cohen’s taxicabs. The attorney owns about 32 taxi medallions in New York City and 22 in Chicago. He bought the Chicago medallions in 2009, Chacon said.
Cohen’s New York cabs formerly were operated by Symon Garber, a Russian immigrant who became Chicago’s largest taxicab operator after befriending Mayor Richard M. Daley’s son Patrick Daley more than 15 years ago.
Garber’s companies, Chicago Carriage Cab and Royal 3 CCC Taxi, operate hundreds of maroon-colored taxis in Chicago. It doesn’t appear that his fleet ever included Cohen’s cabs.
The dozen cabs that the city has suspended are owned by three Cohen companies — Tailgater Cab Corp., Gridlock Corp. and Fender Bender Corp. — and were operated by Dispatch Taxi, whose cabs are painted orange with navy blue letters.
Cohen’s 10 other cabs are owned by Rush Hour Cab Corp. and Love Bug Cab Corp. and operated by Flash Cab. Those haven’t been cited for any city violations.
