U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan also refused to end court-supervised release for Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and later served time in prison, and suggested that Cohen may have perjured himself.

The decision came as Cohen prepares to be a star witness against Trump in the former president's upcoming criminal trial, concerning whether Trump covered up hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to aid his successful 2016 presidential run.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis)