A Fugees rapper accused of multimillion-dollar political plots spanning two administrations was convicted Wednesday following a trial that included testimony from actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Sessions, the former US Attorney General.
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financier to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then attempting to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China during the Trump administration.
The defense said that the Grammy-winning rapper from the Fugees’ 1990s hip-hop group merely wanted to make money and received inadequate legal counsel while reinventing himself in the world of politics.
Michel first encountered Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho in 2006, when the businessman known as Jho Low was dropping large quantities of money and rubbing shoulders with celebrities such as Paris Hilton. Low assisted with the financing of Hollywood films such as “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Low, according to DiCaprio, appeared to him as a respectable businessman and expressed wanting to give to Obama’s campaign.
Michel testified in his own defense as well. He stated that Low desired a photo with Obama in 2012 and was willing to spend millions of dollars for it. Michel agreed to assist and used some of the money he received to pay for friends’ attendance at fundraising events. He claimed that no one had ever warned him that was prohibited.
Prosecutors claimed Michel made the donation on Low’s behalf and afterwards tried to intimidate the straw donors using texts from burner phones to dissuade them from cooperating with investigators.
Prosecutors allege Michel accepted millions again after Donald Trump’s election to cease an inquiry into charges Low masterminded a money laundering and bribery scheme that stole billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB. Low is now a worldwide fugitive, claiming innocence.
Michel was also paid to try to urge the US to repatriate a government opponent suspected of crimes in China without registering as a foreign agent, according to authorities.
The defense used evidence from Sessions, Trump’s top law enforcement official until his resignation in 2018. Sessions stated that he was aware of the Chinese government’s desire for extradition but had no knowledge of Michel. The rapper’s ultimately failed efforts to schedule a meeting on the subject did not appear unlawful, according to the former attorney general.
