A US court on Thursday sentenced rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel to 14 years in prison for his role in a billion-dollar Malaysian money-laundering scheme that illegally funneled funds into American political campaigns, Michel’s lawyer confirmed on Friday.
The 53-year-old founding member of the 1990s hit group the Fugees was convicted in 2023 on multiple charges, including money laundering and campaign finance violations, in connection with a global foreign influence scandal orchestrated by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho. The scheme allegedly funneled millions of dollars into former US President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
A jury found Michel guilty on 10 criminal counts following a trial that included Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio as a witness. Additional charges included conspiracy, forgery, and acting as an undisclosed agent of a foreign government. Michel was also tried for illegal lobbying on behalf of China in 2017, during the first Trump administration, in a case involving the attempted extradition of entrepreneur Guo Wengui, accused of defrauding investors of over $1 billion.
Michel’s attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, said his client plans to appeal, calling the sentence “lopsided” and “disproportionate.”
“It is true that Mr. Michel was sentenced to 168 months,” Zeidenberg told AFP. “We believe the verdict was unsupported by the evidence, particularly when compared to his co-defendants. Elliott Broidy was pardoned, George Higginbotham received three months’ probation, and Nickie Lum Davis got 24 months. There is no justification for Mr. Michel being singled out, other than the penalty for opting for trial.”
Justice Department prosecutors, however, argued that Michel “betrayed his country for money” and illegally funneled millions of dollars in foreign contributions into a US presidential election, justifying a severe sentence.
The scandal is linked to the 1MDB fund, a Malaysian state investment vehicle from which billions of dollars were allegedly stolen by Low. These funds were used to invest in luxury US real estate, fine art, and Hollywood films, including DiCaprio’s The Wolf of Wall Street. The exposure of the 1MDB scandal led to the downfall of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was later convicted and imprisoned.
Michel, a Haitian-American from Brooklyn, founded the Fugees with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The group achieved international fame in the 1990s, winning two Grammy Awards and selling tens of millions of albums.
