Fugees Rapper Pras michel Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Illegal Campaign Finance scheme
WASHINGTON – Pras Michel, a founding member of the Grammy-winning hip-hop group the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday for orchestrating an illegal campaign finance scheme to funnel foreign money into the 2012 re-election campaign of former President Barack Obama. the sentencing follows a conviction in April on multiple charges, including conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws, making false statements, and witness tampering.
The case centers around Michel’s acceptance of over $120 million from Malaysian financier Jho Low, a central figure in the 1MDB financial scandal, and his subsequent efforts to use those funds to influence U.S. politics.Prosecutors alleged Michel steered the money through straw donors to the Obama campaign and attempted to quash a Justice Department inquiry into Low. The sentencing underscores the serious consequences of foreign interference in American elections and highlights the vulnerabilities within campaign finance regulations. Michel’s attorneys argued the judge was ill-equipped to deliver a fair sentence, but their request for a new trial was denied in August 2024, partially due to the defense’s use of generative AI during closing arguments.
Michel, a Brooklyn native whose parents immigrated from Haiti, rose to fame alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean in the Fugees, a band that sold tens of millions of albums and won two Grammy Awards. According to prosecutors, Michel also tampered with witnesses and committed perjury during the trial.
Jho Low, who financed the film The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio, remains a fugitive and maintains his innocence. Michel’s defense team claimed Low’s motivation for the donations was simply to secure a photograph with President Obama, not to achieve any policy goals.
The 14-year sentence marks a notable outcome in a case that exposed a complex web of international finance and political influence. It remains to be seen whether further investigations will uncover additional instances of foreign interference in U.S. elections.
