Grammy award-winning rapper Prakazrel (Pras) Michel from the Fugees has been handed a 14-year prison sentence following his involvement in illegally channeling millions of dollars in foreign donations to support the 2012 re-election campaign of then-U.S. President Barack Obama. The 53-year-old Michel chose not to speak during the sentencing by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
In April 2023, Michel was found guilty on multiple charges, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial, held in Washington, D.C., featured testimonies from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. attorney general Jeff Sessions.
Prosecutors from the Justice Department recommended a life sentence for Michel, asserting that he had betrayed his country for financial gain and had deceitfully executed his schemes without remorse. They emphasized that his punishment should mirror the severity of his offenses, his disregard for national security risks, and the extent of his avarice.
Defense lawyer Peter Zeidenberg argued that the 14-year sentence imposed on his client was excessively harsh. Michel intends to challenge both his conviction and the sentence with the support of his legal counsel. Zeidenberg proposed a three-year prison term, asserting that a life sentence would be unjustifiably severe for Michel, a penalty typically reserved for individuals involved in terrorism or drug cartels.
Michel, a native of Brooklyn with Haitian immigrant parents, co-founded the Fugees with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group achieved success in the music industry, winning two Grammy Awards and selling millions of albums. Michel received over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and diverted a portion of these funds through intermediary donors to support Obama’s political campaign.
Moreover, Michel was accused of obstructing a federal investigation into Low, influencing witnesses, and committing perjury during the trial. Low, who currently resides in China, was a key financier of the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street,” starring DiCaprio, and remains a fugitive while maintaining his innocence.
Michel’s legal team contended that Low’s sole purpose for providing funds to Michel was to secure a photo opportunity with then-President Obama. In August 2024, the judge dismissed Michel’s plea for a new trial, citing concerns over his defense attorney’s use of an AI program during the trial’s closing arguments and other procedural errors, determining that they did not constitute a significant miscarriage of justice.
