Fugees Pras Michel Gets 14-Year Jail Term For Illicit Foreign Funding in Obama Campaign

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Grammy Award-winning Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegally channeling millions of dollars in foreign funds into former US President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, marking one of the most significant political finance cases involving a celebrity figure.

Michel, 52, was convicted in April 2023 by a federal jury in Washington, DC on 10 counts including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The high-profile trial featured testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, highlighting the far-reaching political and global implications.

Prosecutors argued that Michel “betrayed his country for money,” insisting that federal sentencing guidelines justified a life sentence due to what they described as his repeated lies, serious national security risks, and greed. They contended that the punishment should reflect the scale of his crimes and his indifference to the consequences for the United States.

Defense attorneys pushed back, calling the sentence excessive. Lawyer Peter Zeidenberg said a 14-year term was “completely disproportionate to the offense,” noting that life sentences are typically reserved for terrorists and high-level cartel leaders. Michel plans to appeal both the conviction and the sentence.

Michel declined to speak before US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the verdict on Thursday.