Fugees’ Pras Michel jailed 14 years in US foreign money case

Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the iconic hip-hop group The Fugees, was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in prison for illegally funneling foreign money into former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.

Michel, 52, chose not to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the sentence. He was convicted in April 2023 on 10 federal counts, including conspiracy, witness tampering, and perjury. The high-profile trial featured testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Prosecutors argued that Michel “betrayed his country for money,” noting that he received over $120 million from Malaysian financier Jho Low and routed part of it through straw donors to Obama’s campaign. They said federal guidelines pointed to a potential life sentence.

His defense attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, called the 14-year term “completely disproportionate,” saying Michel will appeal both the conviction and sentence. Defense filings argued that a life sentence would have been “absurdly high,” normally reserved for terrorists and cartel leaders.

Prosecutors also said Michel attempted to interfere in a Justice Department investigation into Jho Low, tampered with witnesses, and lied repeatedly during his trial.

Michel, born in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrant parents, rose to global fame with The Fugees, whose music earned two Grammy Awards and sold tens of millions of records. Now, he faces one of the harshest sentences ever given to an American entertainer in a foreign influence case.

Based on reporting by Africanews.