Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, the Grammy-winning rapper from The Fugees, has begun a 14-year federal prison sentence after being convicted of illegally funneling millions in foreign contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.
Michel, 53, reported to prison on Thursday, his spokesperson confirmed, with federal records indicating his incarceration at a low-security correctional institution located in Arizona.
Erica Dumas, a spokesperson for Michel, confirmed his reporting, stating, “Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice. Pras honors the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence.”
Dumas added that his legal team continues to contest the charges, concluding, “This chapter is difficult, but it is not his final one.”
His conviction, which occurred in April 2023, saw a federal jury find him guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent for a foreign government. He was sentenced late last year.
The trial in Washington, D.C., featured testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended life sentence, asserting that Michel “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.
Prosecutors said he obtained over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — and steered some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign. Michel also tried to end a U.S. Justice Department investigation of Low, tampered with two witnesses and perjured himself at trial, prosecutors said. Low has maintained his innocence.
Michel was a founding member of the Fugees along with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, with the group going on to win two Grammy Awards and selling tens of millions of albums.
