Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years for Foreign Campaign Funding Scheme

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., sentenced Fugees co-founder Prakazrel "Pras" Michel to 14 years in prison on Thursday for his role in a scheme to illegally funnel foreign money into U.S. political campaigns and influence government investigations. The 52-year-old rapper, convicted in April 2023 on 10 federal counts including conspiracy, campaign finance violations and acting as an unregistered foreign agent, must also serve three years of probation following his prison term and forfeit more than $64 million in assets linked to the crimes.

Michel's case stemmed from his ties to Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, known as Jho Low, who is accused of embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund. Prosecutors alleged that Michel, paid tens of millions by Low, directed over $120 million in illicit funds through straw donors to support Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. The effort violated federal campaign finance laws by concealing the foreign origins of the contributions.

The scheme extended to the Trump administration in 2017, when Michel allegedly lobbied officials to end a Justice Department probe into Low's activities and to...