Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel reported to prison to begin his 14-year sentence for money laundering and illegal lobbying.
The 53-year-old turned himself in on Thursday to the Federal Correctional Institution in Safford, Arizona, his spokesperson, Erica Dumas, confirmed in a statement to Page Six. The Grammy-winning rapper was convicted in April 2023 on 10 counts including money laundering, illegal lobbying, campaign finance violations, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of China, stemming from his involvement with Malaysian financier Jho Low, who’d been accused of stealing $4.5 billion from a state fund. His legal team is already preparing an appeal, with his spokesperson Erica Dumas telling the world that Michel’s rights were violated and the truth was obscured during the trial process.
The charges traced back to 2012, when federal prosecutors said Michel began funneling money from Low into illegal contributions to President Obama’s reelection campaign and later lobbying efforts aimed at the Trump administration to stop investigating the financier. Prosecutors claimed Michel received over $100 million from Low and used it to peddle influence across multiple government agencies, including the White House and FBI.