Fugees rapper found guilty in US over 1MDB case
Prakazrel Michel was convicted on 10 counts after a trial with high-profile witnesses, including Leonardo DiCaprio.
Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been convicted in the United States of conspiring with the financier at the center of Malaysia’s 1MDB scandal to illegally lobby the US government.
Michel was accused of funneling money from fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho to former US President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and lobbying the Justice Department during former President Donald Trump’s tenure to push investigations into alleged corruption from Low to stop.
Michel, who rose to fame in the 1990s with hits such as “Ready or Not” and “Killing Me Softly”, is also said to have lobbied Washington on behalf of China to return dissident Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui to China.
A jury in Washington, D.C. convicted Michel on all 10 charges he was charged with, including conspiracy, falsifying campaign finance records, witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
Michel faces up to 20 years in prison under the most serious charges.
Michel’s defense had argued that the Grammy-winning rapper had received bad legal advice and just wanted to make money.
Michel declined to comment after the verdict, but his lawyer David Kenner told reporters he was “extremely disappointed” by the verdict and was confident it would be overturned on appeal.
“I have immense confidence that this matter is not over and that we will prevail in the end,” said Kenner.
Michel’s conviction followed a closely monitored trial involving prominent witnesses, including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Trump-era Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
DiCaprio, whose 2013 film Wolf of Wall Street was reportedly financed with money stolen from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, testified at trial about Low’s lavish spending habits and connections, describing him as a “kind of business prodigy.”
Low, who is now an international fugitive believed to be hiding in China, is said to have helped funnel billions of dollars stolen from 1MDB into luxury properties, fine arts and Hollywood movies.
Low, who is being charged in New York with embezzling $4.5 billion, insists he is innocent.