Grammy-Winning Rapper Jailed for 14 Years Over Illegal Obama Campaign Contributions

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

Grammy-winning Fugees member Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for funnelling millions of dollars in illegal foreign donations into former U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Michel, 52, remained silent as U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the sentence on Thursday.

The rapper was convicted by a federal jury in April 2023 on 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The high-profile trial in Washington, D.C., featured testimony from Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Prosecutors argued that federal sentencing guidelines could have allowed life imprisonment, accusing Michel of betraying the United States for financial gain. They said he lied “unapologetically and unrelentingly” to carry out the scheme, insisting the punishment should reflect “the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed.”

However, Michel’s lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, condemned the 14-year term as “completely disproportionate” and confirmed plans to appeal. He argued that the guideline range was “absurdly high”, noting that life sentences are typically reserved for deadly terrorists or major drug cartel leaders. The defence had sought a three-year sentence.

Michel, a Brooklyn-born artist of Haitian descent, rose to global fame as a founding member of the Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. The influential hip-hop group sold tens of millions of records and won two Grammy Awards.

According to prosecutors, Michel received more than $120 million from Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho — widely known as Jho Low — and secretly channelled part of the funds into Obama’s campaign through a network of straw donors. He was also accused of attempting to obstruct a Justice Department investigation into Low, tampering with witnesses, and committing perjury during his trial.

Michel’s legal team maintained that Low’s financial contributions were aimed merely at securing a photograph with Obama, rather than influencing U.S. government policy.

A request for a new trial was rejected in August 2024. The defence had partly based its application on the use of generative AI during closing arguments, but the court ruled there had been no miscarriage of justice.