Rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been found guilty of illegally attempting to influence two US presidential administrations and lobby on behalf of the Chinese government, after allegedly funnelling money to political campaigns in the hope of getting investigations into fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low dropped.
A jury in Washington on Wednesday convicted the 50-year old Grammy-winning musician, who was arrested in 2019, of conspiring with Low and others to engage in “undisclosed lobbying” to get a probe into the multibillion-dollar plunder of a Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB, allegedly masterminded by Low, dismissed. He was also accused of lobbying to have a Chinese dissident sent back to the country.
Michel gained fame with the Fugees, a hip-hop group including Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean that rose to stardom in the 1990s with hit singles such as “Killing Me Softly” and “Ready or Not”. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
US prosecutors first charged Michel and Low in 2019 for allegedly making illicit contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 US presidential election campaign. The Department of Justice said Michel received about $21.6mn from Low and redirected the contributions both in his own name and through about 20 “straw donors”. He then made false statements about the donations to election officials, prosecutors said.
Michel was also involved in undisclosed lobbying campaigns in 2017 targeting the Donald Trump administration, and then attorney-general Jeff Sessions, over the attempted extradition of a Chinese national. He told the court on Tuesday that he was unaware that federal law required him to register as a foreign agent and he would have done so had he known.
One of Michel’s co-conspirators, former deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee Elliott Broidy, pleaded guilty in 2020 to secretly lobbying on behalf of Low and China’s government, only to be pardoned later by Trump.
Two other co-conspirators, US businesswoman Nickie Lum Davis, and former DoJ employee George Higginbotham also pleaded guilty. Davis was imprisoned for two years while Higginbotham is awaiting sentencing.
“As proven at trial, the defendant engaged in an extensive conspiracy to use millions of dollars in foreign funds to engage in illegal back-channel lobbying and make unlawful campaign contributions,” said Kenneth Polite, assistant attorney-general of the justice department’s criminal division.
“Today’s verdict demonstrates that anyone who engages in unlawful foreign-sponsored efforts to influence American officials, our elections, or the criminal justice system will be brought to justice.”
A lawyer for Michel did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but one of his attorneys, David Kenner, indicated in comments outside the courthouse that his client would appeal, according to media reports. Low has long denied any wrongdoing and is believed to be in China.
Michel was found guilty of 10 charges including conspiracy, witness tampering and serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison on the most serious charges, and will be sentenced at a later date.
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