Fugees rapper convicted over lobbying for Malaysian financier Jho Low
Brady Knox
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Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the hip-hop group the Fugees was convicted by a jury in a Washington federal court over a lobbying campaign by Malaysian financier Jho Low.
The campaign allegedly attempted to influence the policies of the Obama and Trump administrations before being uncovered. In connection with the scheme, Michel was charged with 10 counts of conspiracy, acting as an agent of a foreign government, witness tampering, and falsifying campaign finance records, Reuters reported.
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The high-profile case included testimony from a strange variety of witnesses, including Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Prosecutors alleged that Michel funneled $2 million into former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign in exchange for 10 times that amount from Low. Michel claimed the $20 million from Low was only to secure a picture with Obama.
“Once he gave me the money, it was my discretion how I spent the money because it’s my money,” Michel said in court. He described Low’s payment as “free money.”
Separately, Low attempted to use Michel to convince the Trump Department of Justice to drop charges against the Malaysian businessman regarding the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.
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The musician was also accused of lobbying on behalf of the Chinese government to extradite Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
The 1MDB scandal has been described by the BBC as “one of the world’s greatest financial scandals.” Low has been a fugitive since 2016, wanted by Interpol, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United States. He is believed to be hiding in China.