Fugees rapper sentenced for illegally funneling foreign money to Obama campaign

Fugees founding member Prakazrel « Pras » Michel was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in federal prison.

A Washington, D.C., jury determined he illegally funneled millions in foreign money into former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign — a sprawling political scandal that prosecutors say involved lies, secret influence and the misuse of more than $100 million.

Michel, 52, declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him.

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His defense attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, pushed back on the ruling, arguing his client’s punishment far exceeds similar cases.

He noted in a statement to Fox News Digital that Michel’s 168-month sentence is « three years more than Senator Menendez, who provided clandestine military assistance to Egypt while he was the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. »

Zeidenberg said the verdict « was unsupported by the evidence » and the sentence « completely disproportional to the facts alleged, » especially compared to others involved in the scheme. « Elliott Broidy was pardoned, George Higginbotham got 3 months’ probation, and Nicki Lum Davis received 24 months, » he said.

« There simply is no justification for Mr. Michel being singled out like this except for the penalty for opting for trial, » Zeidenberg said, adding, « We will appeal. »

Michel was convicted in April 2023 on 10 federal counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The high-profile trial featured testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Federal prosecutors argued Michel « betrayed his country for money » and « lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes, » telling the court that the recommended penalty under federal guidelines was life in prison. 

« 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 said.

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Michel’s defense attorney, Zeidenberg, pushed for a three-year term, calling the 14-year sentence « completely disproportionate to the offense. » 

His team argued that a life sentence for Michel — a musician with no violent history — would be « absurdly high. »

« The Government’s position is one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil and, if anything, simply illustrates just how easily the Guidelines can be manipulated to produce absurd results, and how poorly equipped they are, at least on this occasion, to determine a fair and just sentence, » Michel’s lawyers wrote in a filing.

Michel will appeal both the conviction and the sentence, according to his attorney.

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Michel — a Brooklyn native whose parents emigrated from Haiti — rose to global fame as a founding member of the Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group sold tens of millions of albums and won two Grammys.

But prosecutors said Michel accepted more than $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low, and routed part of that money through straw donors to access Obama campaign events. Michel also attempted to interfere with a Justice Department investigation into Low, tampered with witnesses and committed perjury, prosecutors said.

Low — tied to financing the Leonardo DiCaprio film « The Wolf of Wall Street » — is a fugitive and is believed to be living in China and has denied wrongdoing. 

DiCaprio previously testified that he first met the Malaysian financier at a 2010 birthday party — an introduction that quickly turned into what he described as a friendly, high-profile connection.

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« I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia, » DiCaprio said during his testimony at the time.

The « Titanic » star also noted that his relationship with Michel dated back even further, explaining that he first crossed paths with the Fugees rapper in the 1990s « while backstage at a Fugees concert. » 

As DiCaprio and Low grew closer, Low became a frequent donor to the actor’s charitable foundation. DiCaprio told investigators that Low later proposed financing what would become the Oscar-nominated film « The Wolf of Wall Street. »

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Before moving forward, DiCaprio said he made sure every aspect of Low’s involvement was thoroughly checked.

He testified that he had Low’s « funding and legitimacy carefully vetted » prior to entering into any business agreement.

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Meanwhile, Michel’s attorneys argued Low wasn’t seeking policy influence. « Low’s motivation for giving Mr. Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective, » they wrote. « Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama. »

In August 2024, Judge Kollar-Kotelly denied Michel’s request for a new trial after he claimed his former defense attorney relied on a generative AI program while preparing closing arguments. 

The judge ruled that the AI use — along with other alleged defense missteps — did not amount to a miscarriage of justice.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.