Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a member of the Fugees, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The conviction stems from his role in illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions into Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
Michel, 52, chose not to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly delivered the sentence on Thursday.
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. 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.
Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg said his client's 14-year sentence is “completely disproportionate to the offense.” Michel will appeal his conviction and sentence, according to his lawyer.
Zeidenberg had recommended a three-year prison sentence. A life sentence would be an “absurdly high” punishment for Michel given that it is typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders, Michel's attorneys said in a court filing.
“The Government’s position is one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil and, if anything, simply illustrates just how easily the Guidelines can be manipulated to produce absurd results, and how poorly equipped they are, at least on this occasion, to determine a fair and just sentence,” they wrote.
