Pras Michel from the Fugees was sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegally donating millions to Obama’s campaign. All details about the verdict and the planned appeal.
The Fugees’ Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign donations to former US President Barack Obama’s 2012 election campaign.
Editorial recommendations
“Conspiracy” and “acting as a foreign agent”
Back in April 2023, the Grammy winner was found guilty by a federal court of ten charges, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified at the trial in Washington. The sentence has now been determined.
Prosecutors asked for life in prison
The public prosecutor had previously called for a life sentence. Michel “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unrepentantly and relentlessly to carry out his plans.” “His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country and the extent of his greed,” they argued, according to The Guardian.
Defense: Sentencing “absurd” and “unfair”
Michel’s defense under Peter Zeidenberg, however, argued for a prison sentence of three years. A life sentence would be “absurdly high” because it is typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders, lawyers said, according to court filings. “The government’s stance would make even Inspector Javert cringe and shows how easily the guidelines can be manipulated to achieve absurd results and how ill-suited they are, at least in this case, to making a fair and just judgment,” they wrote.
The defense is referring to the fictional character Javert, the antagonist in Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables from 1862, who, as a prison guard and police inspector, stands out for his authoritarian and brutal views.
Michel wants to appeal
According to Zeidenberg, the 14-year prison sentence is also “completely disproportionate to the crime.” Michel will therefore appeal against his conviction and sentence.
The Brooklyn-born musician, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Haiti, was a founding member of the Fugees along with his childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The hip-hop band won two Grammy Awards and sold several million albums.
Payments from Jho Low
In 2012, the rapper received over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho – known as Jho Low – and funneled some of that money to Obama’s campaign through front men. He also allegedly tried to end a Justice Department investigation into Low, tampered with two witnesses and committed perjury in court, prosecutors said.