(CNN) Michael Cohen said in court Wednesday that he had been living in a "personal and mental incarceration" under President Donald Trump and that his prison sentence would, ironically, help him get back his freedom.

That's particularly true if he goes to a certain minimum-security prison not far from the city.

In federal court on Wednesday, US District Judge William Pauley agreed to recommend that Cohen serve his 36-month prison sentence at FCI Otisville, about 70 miles northwest of New York City.

FCI Otisville has sometimes been viewed as a preferable prison option for inmates convicted of white-collar crimes. In 2009, Forbes named it one of "America's 10 cushiest prisons."

Despite the judge's recommendation, the decision as to where Cohen will spend time is ultimately up to the Bureau of Prisons, which has sole responsibility for determining where offenders spend their prison sentences.