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Fugees' Pras sentenced to 14 years in multimillion-dollar scheme

USA TODAY

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Prakazrel Michel, better known as Pras, to 14 years in prison followed by three years of probation, according to Billboard and The New York Times. He was also ordered last month to forfeit $64 million apparently linked to the scheme, Billboard reported.

Michel, 53 – co-founder of the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning hip hop group with bandmates Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean – was found guilty of 10 counts of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government in April 2023. He was facing up to 20 years in federal prison for two longstanding criminal schemes: one funneling tens of millions from foreign financier Low Taek Jho to Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, and another attempting to lobby the U.S. Department of Justice to drop its investigation into Low and send a high-profile Chinese "dissident" back to China under the Trump administration.

Pras Michel, a member of the 1990's hip-hop group the Fugees and his lawyer David Kenner arrive at U.S. District Court on April 3, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Michel is on trial for his alleged participation in a campaign finance conspiracy.

USA TODAY has reached out to Pras' rep for comment.

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Michel was convicted at the end of a trial that included testimony from high-profile names, including Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Low – who forfeited $100 million in assets to the Justice Department to settle two civil cases – is currently an international fugitive and continues to face criminal charges in the U.S. and his home country. The Malaysian businessman also helped finance Hollywood films, including the DiCaprio-starring "The Wolf of Wall Street."