Fugees’ Pras Michel Found Guilty for Involvement in Political Conspiracy

April 27, 2023

Fugees member Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been found guilty on a range of charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The charges all stem from his role in a money laundering scheme linked to Malaysian financier and fugitive Jho Low.

Michel was found guilty on all 10 counts he was charged with in a federal court in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (26th April), Associated Press reports. The rapper’s lawyer, David Kenner, commented that he was “extremely disappointed” in the outcome of the case, and “remain[s] very, very confident we will ultimately prevail”, vowing to appeal the verdict.

Michel Has Been Found Guilty on Charges Including Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

Pras Michel and his lawyer David Kenner outside U.S. District Court earlier this month | Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

According to prosecutors, Low paid Michel approximately $100 million to influence US politics. The United States Department of Justice indicted Michel in 2019, alleging that, in 2012, the rapper assisted in the illegal transfer of some $850,000 via straw donors into Obama’s 2012 campaign on behalf of Low. The funds were allegedly embezzled from Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB.

According to prosecutors, Michel was specifically involved in a scheme to enlist attendees for an Obama fundraising dinner, paying for their tickets using the foreign funds. According to the filing, Michel then threatened attendees from burner phones, urging them not to cooperate with an investigation into the matter.

Michel was charged by the DOJ again in 2021, when he was accused of lobbying the Trump administration to get an investigation of Low – who allegedly masterminded a money laundering scheme that embezzled billions from 1MDB – dropped. Michel was also allegedly paid for attempting to influence White House and justice officials into assisting with the extradition of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui from the US. Low remains at large.

In court, Michel’s attorneys argued that the rapper simply got bad legal advice as he attempted to reinvent himself as a businessman following the dissolution of the Fugees. Testifying in court himself, Michel said Low paid him millions to get a picture with Obama, which he agreed to do. He said that he used some of the money to pay for friends to attend Obama fundraising events, and that no one told him that was illegal.

The trial also heard testimony from Leonardo DiCaprio. The Wolf of Wall Street, which DiCaprio starred in, was financed in part by Low. During the trial, DiCaprio testified that Low had appeared to him as a legitimate businessman, and that he’d also mentioned wanting to donate to Obama’s campaign.

Michel’s legal troubles are believed to have impeded a planned Fugees reunion tour, which was supposed to kick off in 2021, just a few months before Michel was indicted for a second time. The group claimed that COVID was to blame for the tour’s postponement and eventual cancellation. However, a report by Puck last year indicated that the US Justice Department did not permit Michel to embark on the international tour, thereby halting its progress.