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Former rapper and music producer, Pras Michel, best known as a member of the popular ‘90s hip-hop group, The Fugees, was convicted on 10 felony counts on Wednesday, by federal prosecutors.
Michel had been charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
In a case that has dated back to 2018, Michel told jurors during his trial that he accepted about $20 million in 2012 from a Malaysian businessman, Jho Low, who wanted his photo taken with President Barack Obama but that the large amounts were never intended as illegal foreign campaign contributions or as payment for Michel’s services.
He also told jurors that he gave about $800,000 to friends so they could donate in their names and gain access to exclusive, $40,000-per-seat Obama fundraisers in Miami and Washington, D.C., but reiterated his belief that the money was his to spend.
Then five years later in 2017, Michel said he tried to work with the Trump administration on Low’s behalf to have them stop investigating Low for a separate crime where he embezzled billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Low sent Michel $100 million to do this favor for him.
Late Wednesday evening, Michel’s attorney, David Kenner, issued a statement regarding the guilty verdict.
“We are of course very disappointed, but I am very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case. Her honor gave us a briefing schedule that will allow us to brief a number of motions that I made during the course of this trial. That briefing schedule extends out into July. Her honor pointed out today that after those decisions are made, based on the briefs, she will determine whether it is still necessary to move to a sentencing hearing. If we do move to a sentencing hearing, I remain very confident that we will, with certainty, appeal this case. This is not over. I remain very, very confident that we will ultimately prevail in this matter.”
He later added, “I filed motions for mistrial and other motions during the course of the trial. It is Her Honor’s practice to take those under submission and to rule on them after all of the evidence is in. I remain enormously confident that this case is not over and that we will ultimately prevail.”
Michel could be sentenced to 22 years in jail.