Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in federal prison for illegally funneling large foreign donations to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2012.
Pras, 52, was accused of conspiring with Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho to conceal millions in foreign campaign contributions to Obama’s re-election campaign.
Prosecutors claim Low, who is still at large, deposited millions of dollars into Pras Michel’s bank accounts in 2012.
Pras then paid straw donors to pretend to be real donors making large cash contributions to the campaign for the purpose of concealing where the money actually came from.
Federal prosecutors said sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Pras, whom they said “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”
“His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed,” they wrote.
Pras must turn himself in to the Bureau of Prisons on January 27, 2026. He plans to appeal his sentence.
In 2019, Pras objected to the federal government seizing $37.5 million from his accounts at multiple banks.
The feds accused Pras of lying to the banks about the source of the funds.
The federal seizures were part of an investigation into a multi-billion dollar money laundering scheme involving Kimora Lee’s ex-husband, Tim Leissner, and Low Taek Jho.
Pras was among a handful of A-list American celebrities who received cash or goods from Low. Pras received over $120 million in funds from Low.
Other celebrities who were forced to surrender cash and goods to the government include Kim Kardashian, who accepted a $325,000 white Ferrari from Low in 2011.
