A federal judge sentenced Grammy-winning rapper Pras Michel to 14 years in prison after his conviction for orchestrating an illegal foreign lobbying scheme that funneled millions of dollars into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
Michel, 53, who rose to fame as a member of the hip-hop group Fugees, was found guilty of working on behalf of fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low to channel foreign money into American politics.
The rapper obtained over $120 million from Low and directed portions of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign, violating federal election laws that prohibit foreign contributions.
Federal prosecutors presented evidence that Michel attempted to end a Justice Department investigation into Low, tampered with two witnesses and committed perjury during his trial.
Michel is scheduled to surrender to authorities on Jan. 27.
A federal jury convicted Michel on 10 counts in April 2023, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
The trial in Washington featured testimony from high-profile witnesses including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly also ordered Michel to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Justice Department prosecutors stated that federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, arguing he “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”
“His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed,” prosecutors wrote.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg called his client’s 14-year sentence “completely disproportionate to the offense” and announced plans to appeal both the conviction and sentence.
The defense team had recommended a three-year prison sentence, arguing that a life sentence would be an “absurdly high” punishment typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders.
Michel publicly appealed to President Donald Trump for clemency before his sentencing. “I hope he turn an eye on me,” Michel said earlier this year, adding he still held “love for any president” and trusted the process would prevail.
The Daily Mail reported that in August 2024, the judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial based in part on his defense attorney’s use of a generative AI program during closing arguments at trial.
The judge determined that trial errors did not amount to a serious miscarriage of justice.
Michel rose to international prominence in the 1990s as part of the Grammy-winning group Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean.
The trio became global icons with hits including Killing Me Softly, Ready or Not and Fu-Gee-La before disbanding in 1998.
