Pras Michel was sentenced to 14 years behind bars in his illegal campaign donation case, where he reportedly worked on behalf of a foreign government to influence the 2012 presidential election. Pras Michel’s sentencing was originally reported as being delayed to October so that the rapper and businessman could complete surgery.
As reported by NPR, Pras Michel, 52, appeared in a federal court in Washington, D.C. to hear the sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. According to accounts from the outlet, the Fugees rapper remained stoic as the sentence was read.
Michel was reportedly embroiled in a scheme involving Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, who allegedly gave Michel over $120 million. Michel was charged with using those funds to funnel donations to President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign bid through straw donations. Michel also tried to use his influence to stop a Justice Department investigation of Low and was slapped with charges of witness tampering and perjury.
The trial also saw testimony from Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who saw his film The Wolf of Wall Street partially bankrolled by Low.
Michel’s attorneys claim that Low gave their client the money for reasons far less nefarious than tampering with an election.
“Low’s motivation for giving Mr. Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective. Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama,” Michel’s attorneys wrote in a statement.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg says he plans to appeal the conviction on behalf of Pras Michel.
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