The hip-hop artist was convicted on 10 counts tied to an illegal foreign lobbying scheme, campaign finance violations, and efforts to influence the Trump and Obama administrations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. —According to the TMZ article, Pras Michél, a founding member of the legendary hip-hop group The Fugees, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, following his conviction on conspiracy and illegal foreign lobbying charges.
A D.C. federal judge delivered the sentence Thursday, adding three years of probation on top of the prison term. The ruling comes just weeks after Pras was ordered to forfeit $64 million tied to what prosecutors described as an elaborate political influence scheme.
Pras was found guilty on 10 federal counts in April 2023, including:
- Illegal foreign lobbying
- Conspiracy
- Witness tampering
- Campaign finance violations connected to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign
- Efforts to influence Trump administration officials in 2017
Prosecutors argued Pras acted as an intermediary between foreign billionaire Jho Low — wanted for the 1MDB fraud scandal — and U.S. government officials.
The rapper told TMZ Hip Hop earlier this year that he was hoping for a presidential pardon from Donald Trump, but that possibility now appears remote.
Pras is scheduled to turn himself in on January 27.
