Pras Michel, the Grammy-winning rapper and co-founder of the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday, November 20, 2025, for his role in an illegal foreign lobbying and campaign finance scheme.
Michel was convicted in April 2023 on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Pras Michel's case involved an illegal scheme to funnel millions of dollars in foreign money into Barack Obama's 2012 presidential re-election campaign.
Michel received over $120 million from Low Taek Jho, a fugitive Malaysian billionaire also known as Jho Low, who allegedly embezzled billions from the Malaysian 1MDB state investment fund.
U.S. law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. election campaigns. Michel acted as a conduit, steering some of this foreign money to a joint fundraising committee and an independent expenditure committee supporting Obama's re-election.
According to court documents and testimony, Jho Low's primary motivation for the contributions was to gain access and potential influence within the Obama administration, and specifically, to obtain a photograph with then-President Obama.
MintPress News
Pras Michel, the Grammy-winning rapper and co-founder of the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Thursday, November 20, 2025, for his role in an illegal foreign lobbying and campaign finance scheme.
Michel was convicted in April 2023 on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Pras Michel's case involved an illegal scheme to funnel millions of dollars in foreign money into Barack Obama's 2012 presidential re-election campaign.
Michel received over $120 million from Low Taek Jho, a fugitive Malaysian billionaire also known as Jho Low, who allegedly embezzled billions from the Malaysian 1MDB state investment fund.
U.S. law prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to U.S. election campaigns. Michel acted as a conduit, steering some of this foreign money to a joint fundraising committee and an independent expenditure committee supporting Obama's re-election.
According to court documents and testimony, Jho Low's primary motivation for the contributions was to gain access and potential influence within the Obama administration, and specifically, to obtain a photograph with then-President Obama.
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