Fugees’ Pras Michel jailed for 14 years over illegal donations to Obama campaign

Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funnelling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former US president Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.

Michel, 52, declined to address the court before US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him.

In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel of 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, who “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.

Defence lawyer Peter Zeidenberg said his client’s 14-year sentence is “completely disproportionate to the offence”. Michel will appeal his conviction and sentence, according to his lawyer.