Ex-Fugees musician Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was sentenced to 14 years in prison for using money to influence US politics.
US prosecutors have recommended a life sentence for a Grammy Award winner after he was found guilty in April 2023 corruption and other charges, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent and witness tampering.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly handed down the sentence in a Washington court Thursday. Michel, 53, testified in his own defense during the trial but declined to speak in court Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
His lawyer said the sentence was “totally disproportionate to the offence” and that he would appeal.
The musician, who was also found guilty of campaign finance violations and lying to banks, was accused of using “secret, illegal foreign influence” between 2012 and 2017, while Barack Obama and Donald Trump were in the White House.
US prosecutors said Michel received more than $100m (£80m) from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low, which was used in two attempts to influence US policy. He was also found guilty of lobbying the Chinese government.
According to court documents, prosecutors said Michel “betrayed his country for money” and for nearly a decade “attempted to exploit and deceive” various parts of the U.S. government, including the White House and the FBI, as well as his own associates.
“Michel lied unapologetically and ruthlessly to further his plans,” prosecutors said. “His sentence must reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country and the extent of his greed.”
They recommended a life sentence under federal guidelines.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, testified at the trial.
Mr Low, a businessman who funneled money to Michel, was accused of stealing around $4 billion from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund during the infamous 1MDB scandal.
Ministry of Justice reached an agreement with a fugitive financier in June 2024 to recover more than $100 million (£79 million) allegedly stolen from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund.
Michel was accused of helping lobby officials in the first Trump administration to drop the investigation into Mr. Lowe's involvement.
Michel's defense lawyer Peter Seidenberg told the BBC he believed the conviction was “not supported by the evidence” and the sentence was “completely disproportionate to the facts alleged”, especially when compared to Michel's co-accused in the case.
“There is simply no justification for singling out Mr. Michel in this manner, other than as punishment for the decision to stand trial,” he said.
Michel's co-defendant Elliott Broidy was pardoned, George Higginbotham received three months' probation and Niki Lam Davis received 24 months, Seidenberg said.
He also noted that possible violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) would no longer be prosecuted except in cases of espionage, and that there were no espionage charges in Michel's case.
Shortly after taking office this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum widely seen as narrowing Farah's reach, requiring people who work in the U.S. on behalf of foreign interests to regularly provide the Justice Department with information about those relationships and activities. The Justice Department will only prosecute “incidents of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by agents of foreign governments,” she wrote.
