Fugees felon gets 14 years for illegal Obama donations

Platinum-selling artist Pras has been sentenced to prison following charges related to illegal foreign lobbying and conspiracy.

Prakazrel Samuel Michel, member of the huge 1990s group the Fugees, has been trapped in legal turmoil for years surrounding apparent attempts to influence presidential elections and administrations.

'There's a possibility that I'm going in while I'm fighting.'

The Fugees' 1996 album "The Score" went seven-times platinum in the United States, and even though the record hit No. 1 in seven countries, it was the group's last original release.

Michel was charged in 2019 and began his trial four years later in 2023. The three-week trial that included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio was focused on multiple money-laundering schemes related to Malaysian financier Jho Low, a Billboard report revealed.

First, Michel was accused of secretly funneling $2 million from Low to Barack Obama's 2012 presidential campaign. The donations were allegedly made through straw donors. In 2023, Michel said he received $20 million from Low, but it was only to help him get a photo with Obama. These figures were part of a $120 million total Michel received from Low, WCBV reported.

Secondly, Michel was accused of funneling money from Low to a lobbying campaign that had the goal of convincing President Trump's administration to drop an investigation into Low in 2019.

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Pras Michel arrives at U.S. District Court on March 31, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Michel was recently ordered to forfeit over $64 million after he was found guilty for his attempts to influence the Trump administration.

'Next chapter'

A representative named Erica Dumas told Variety, "Throughout his career Pras has broken barriers. This is not the end of his story. He appreciates the outpouring of support as he approaches the next chapter."

Pras had previously told the outlet that he planned to appeal the outcome of the case, saying he was "going to fight" and "going to appeal."

"But there's a possibility that I'm going in while I'm fighting," he said. "It's just the reality."

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Wyclef Jean (L), Pras Michel (C), and Lauryn Hill (R) attend the 24th Annual American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, January 1997. Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images

Tumultuous trio

The other Fugees members went on to have careers worthy of feature film.

In 2010, Wyclef Jean attempted to run for president of Haiti after a hurricane ravaged the island. He was eventually dropped from the ballot, presumably because he did not meet the country's residency requirements. It was also revealed in the process that Jean had been claiming he was three years younger than he actually was, admitting he was 40 years old, not 37.

In 2013, Lauryn Hill spent three months in prison for failing to pay around $1 million in taxes. At the time, she compared her experience in the music industry to slavery.

"I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them," she claimed. "I had an economic system imposed on me."

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