Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel (Pras) Michel from the Fugees has been handed a 14-year prison sentence for his involvement in diverting millions of dollars in foreign funds to the 2012 re-election campaign of then-U.S. President Barack Obama. The 53-year-old Michel chose not to speak before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the sentence.
In April 2023, a federal jury found Michel guilty on 10 counts, 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 stated that Michel deserved a life sentence as he had “betrayed his country for financial gain” and had deceived persistently to execute his illicit activities.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg argued that the 14-year sentence was excessively severe compared to the crime committed. Michel intends to challenge both his conviction and the sentence. Zeidenberg had proposed a three-year prison term, asserting that a life sentence, as suggested by the government, was unjustifiably high, typically being reserved for severe offenders like terrorists or drug lords.
Michel, a native of Brooklyn with Haitian immigrant parents, co-founded the Fugees alongside childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group achieved success in the music industry, winning multiple Grammy Awards and selling millions of albums. Michel received over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and directed a portion of these funds through third-party donors to support Obama’s campaign.
Michel also made attempts to halt a Justice Department inquiry into Low, influenced witnesses, and committed perjury during the trial. Low, residing in China, was a key backer of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a film featuring DiCaprio. Despite being a fugitive, Low maintains his innocence. The motive behind Low’s financial support to Michel was not related to any policy objectives but simply to secure a photo opportunity with then-President Obama, as stated by Michel’s legal team.
In August 2024, the judge dismissed Michel’s plea for a new trial, citing various trial errors, including the use of generative AI by his defense attorney during the trial’s closing arguments, which did not amount to a substantial miscarriage of justice.