Fugees Rapper Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel Found Guilty of Political Conspiracy
Apr. 26 2023, Published 6:02 p.m. ET
Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel, a member of the rap trio Fugees, has been found guilty of political conspiracy, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Michel was accused of criminal activity that spanned two presidential campaigns and was found guilty of his charges on Wednesday. The high-profile case included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Michel was accused of funneling money through now-fugitive Malaysian donor Low Taek Jho, whom he met in 2006, to straw donors for Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.
After facilitating the donations with Low, Michel allegedly attempted to thwart a probe by the Department of Justice and sway an extradition case on behalf of China while Donald Trump was in office.
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Michel's lawyers attempted to argue that the payments were nothing more than the result of poor business advice given to the rapper as he attempted to dip his toes in political waters. Testimony from DiCaprio appeared to back up the defense's claims as the Titanic star stated that he viewed the Malaysian financier as a legitimate businessman.
Additionally, DiCaprio shared that Low had expressed interest in donating to Obama's campaign.
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Low, who went as Low Jho at the time, was active in Hollywood as a financier for films, including DiCaprio's hit The Wolf of Wall Street.
In an attempt to plead his case, Michel testified during his trial.
The Ready or Not rapper claimed that his relationship with Low began over a photo request with then-President Obama — and that Low was willing to drop a large sum of cash for a photo-op with Barack.
After he agreed to assist Low in his photo quest, Michel said he used some of the money he received from Low to pay for other high-profile friends to attend events.
The rapper insisted that he was not aware of any illegal activity; however, the prosecution claimed that Michel was donating money to the campaign on Low's behalf — and resorted to the use of burner phones to contact straw donors for repayment.
The prosecution additionally accused Michel of accepting millions to intervene in a probe into allegations that targeted Low following Trump's 2016 victory. Low was accused of organizing a massive money laundering and bribery scheme that siphoned large sums from the Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Low became an international fugitive over the accusations.