Rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, one-third of the Grammy Award-winning rap group the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of a host of crimes, including illegally funneling money from a Malaysian billionaire into former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Michels is additionally accused of attempting to interfere in the cases against him and his billionaire patron.
Pras was sentenced for illegal donations to Obama and attempts to influence Trump
On Thursday, a federal judge sentenced Michel to 14 years in prison after he was convicted on 10 charges, including illegal lobbying, money laundering and witness tampering. He is accused of accepting over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho. Some of this money was channeled through 20 straw donors as contributions to Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, in violation of campaign finance laws against foreign donations. Michel was also alleged to have attempted to influence the first Trump administration to drop embezzlement charges against Low, as well as pushing the administration to extradite a Chinese dissident who resided in the United States back to China.
Massive international embezzlement scheme
Michel’s relationship with Low, also known as Jho Low, connects the rapper to a multi-billion-dollar international embezzlement case. Low is accused of leading a scheme involving other prominent individuals, including former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, that stole billions of dollars from that country’s government. Low, who remains a fugitive but maintains his innocence, was one of the principal financial backers of the 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio film The Wolf of Wall Street, and Michel was among the rich and famous people whom Low courted with his allegedly stolen money. Neither Obama, Trump, nor DiCaprio was accused of having any knowledge of illegal activity.
Lawyers argue over the severity of the crime and the punishment
The 14-year sentence given to Michel by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly differed from the recommendations of lawyers for both sides of the case. Prosecutors argued that Michel should be sentenced to life in prison, saying that he “betrayed his country for money” and then “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.” Michel’s lawyers argued that his crimes only warranted a three-year sentence. They downplayed the impact of the scheme, claiming, for example, that Low didn’t intend to influence policy through the illegal campaign donations. They wrote, “Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama.”
Michel, a Brooklyn-born son of Haitian immigrants, formed the rap group the Fugees with artists Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, selling millions of albums and gaining multiple awards. Now, he faces a lengthy prison sentence. His lawyers have indicated that he will appeal his conviction and sentence. There was also speculation earlier this year that Trump, who has a cameo on Michel’s 1998 solo album Ghetto Supastar, was considering a pardon for the rapper. For now, however, Michel’s prospects remain bleak.