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Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a Grammy-winning member of the hip-hop group The Fugees, was sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in federal prison for his role in a sprawling international conspiracy that involved illegal campaign donations and unregistered foreign lobbying. The sentence marks a significant downfall for the artist, who became entangled in a multi-million-dollar scheme that reached the highest levels of the U.S. government.
In April 2023, a federal jury in Washington, D.C., found Michel guilty on all 10 counts against him, including conspiracy, money laundering, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent for China. Prosecutors successfully argued that Michel was enlisted by fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the massive 1MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal. According to court documents and testimony, Low paid Michel over $100 million to carry out his influence campaigns in the United States.
The case involved two distinct phases. First, Michel was tasked with funneling millions in illegal contributions to Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign through a network of straw donors to disguise the foreign source of the funds. Later, under the Trump administration, Michel lobbied top officials to drop the Justice Department's investigation into Jho Low and the 1MDB fraud. He also pushed for the extradition of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui back to China at the behest of the Chinese government.
The high-profile trial featured testimony from notable figures, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who described his past association with Low, and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Michel's defense attorneys argued that he was a political novice who received bad legal advice and did not knowingly engage in illegal activity. They have announced their intention to appeal both the conviction and the sentence. The case underscores the federal government's increasing focus on enforcing laws against covert foreign influence and illicit campaign financing schemes.
