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A jury on Wednesday convicted Grammy Award-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the hip-hop group The Fugees on criminal charges that he conspired with Malaysian financiers to organize a series of foreign lobbying campaigns aimed at influencing the US government under two presidents.
His conviction in federal court in Washington followed a trial filled with political intrigue and featuring high-profile witnesses including Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and former US attorney general Jeff Sessions.
Michel, who underwent a grueling cross-examination by prosecutors while testifying in his own defense, was charged with 10 counts of conspiracy, acting as an agent of a foreign government, torture and falsifying campaign finance records.
Prosecutors accused him of conspiring with Malaysian businessman Jho Low to try to influence the administrations of former US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
Low, who also faces separate federal charges in New York that he stole $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, remains at large.
The Fugees won two Grammy Awards for best-selling album in 1996 That score. In 2012, according to prosecutors, Michel needed cash and found a solution through Low, who was known to throw elaborate parties and pay celebrities a lot of money.
‘free money’
Prosecutors said Michel agreed to funnel $2 million from Low to Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign in exchange for receiving millions of dollars. Because federal election laws prohibit foreigners from donating to U.S. campaigns, prosecutors said Michel masked the source of the funds.
Michel is also accused of trying to convince the Trump-era Justice Department to drop civil and criminal investigations into Low over the 1MDB scandal and trying to lobby the US government on behalf of China to send Chinese billionaire and dissident Guo Wengui back to China.
On the witness stand, Michel said $20 million Low paid him in the course of nine months in 2012 to help Low secure a photo with Obama. Michel admitted that he used some of the money to pay three of his friends to attend two political fundraisers for the Obama campaign in 2012, but denied doing so at Low’s direction.
“Once they give me the money, it’s my discretion how I spend the money because it’s my money,” Michel told jurors, describing the payment as “free money.”
As to whether he failed to register as a foreign agent, Michel told jurors that his lawyer, George Higgenbotham, never told him he was required by law.
Michel also said he passed on information to the FBI about China’s desire to have Guo extradited amid China’s concern that Guo “be accused of being a criminal rapist,” saying he “considered that the FBI should know.”
Higgenbotham, who has since pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, told jurors that he met with the Chinese ambassador in Washington at Michel’s insistence to assure the Chinese that the Trump administration was working to extraditing Guo.
Guo, who was never extradited, has been indicted on unrelated fraud charges in New York.
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