Pras Michel, one-third of the acclaimed New Jersey rap trio the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years in prison today, Billboard reports. In 2023, the performer known by the mononym Pras was convicted on charges of conspiracy and illegal foreign lobbying in a trial that featured testimony from Leonard DiCaprio and will be the subject of a documentary by Mark Wahlberg.
A jury found Pras guilty of funneling millions of dollars from Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, aka Jho Low, into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign through straw donors, as well as trying to undermine the Justice Department’s investigation into Low’s conspiracy and attempting to influence an extradition case on China’s behalf without registering as a foreign agent. He sought a retrial, claiming his attorney used AI to write a botched closing argument on his behalf, but was not granted his request.
Pras had been facing a maximum sentence of 22 years. Last year he said he will not participate in any further Fugees reunions, and after targeting former bandmate Lauryn Hill in a diss track, he sued her for fraud in relation to the latest attempted Fugees tour, which was canceled before it got underway.
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