A United States (U.S.) court has meted out a 14-year prison sentence to rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel for providing illicit donations to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. The musician, a renowned member of the 1990s hip-hop group Fugees, was accused of illegally channeling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to Obama’s campaign.
The high-profile trial in Washington, D.C., was a whirlwind of testimony, with Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions taking the stand. Michel, who declined to address the court before the verdict was announced, was found guilty of 10 different counts by a federal jury in April 2023. He was convicted of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
The rapper was accused of siphoning funds from the mastermind of the 1MDB scandal, fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, and funneling some of that money into Obama’s campaign. The 1MDB scandal is one of the biggest financial frauds in Malaysian history, and many high-profile figures in the country have been convicted for their role in the scandal, including disgraced former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The Justice Department stated that the Grammy-winning rapper lied unapologetically and relentlessly to carry out his schemes. It is illegal in the U.S. for foreigners to donate to election campaigns, and Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the verdict sentencing the acclaimed rapper to 14 years in prison.
