"Fugees rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of criminal conspiracy and illegal foreign lobbying, Billboard reports. Washington, D.C. federal judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly handed down the sentence on Thursday, November 20. Pras will serve 14 years out of a maximum 22, followed by three years of probation. Last month, he was also ordered to forfeit nearly $65 million to the U.S. government."
"Pras was eventually found guilty of all 10 charges brought against him, which included conspiracy to defraud the United States government and making foreign and conduit campaign contributions, one count of concealing material facts, and two counts of making a false entry in a record in connection with the conspiracy. He subsequently filed a motion for retrial, claiming that his attorney, David Kenner, had used AI to write his closing argument."
Pras Michel was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on November 20, to be followed by three years of probation, and was ordered to forfeit nearly $65 million. Charges from 2019 went to trial in 2023, alleging he funneled money from Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho into Barack Obama's 2012 campaign and later sought to influence the Trump administration to end a DOJ probe into Jho Low. Leonardo DiCaprio testified about Jho Low's funding of The Wolf of Wall Street. Pras was convicted on all 10 counts, has filed for retrial claiming his attorney used AI, and plans to appeal.
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