Hello and welcome to the details of Fugees star Pras gets 14 years over Jho Low’s 1MDB-linked scheme to secure photo with Obama and now with the details
Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - Screengrab of Pras Michel arriving at court in Washington, where the Fugees rapper was sentenced to 14 years over a foreign-money scheme linked to Malaysian financier Jho Low.
By Malay Mail
Friday, 21 Nov 2025 2:09 PM MYT
NEW YORK, Nov 21 — Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in a US prison in a foreign-money scheme that prosecutors say began with more than US$120 million (RM497 million) from Malaysian financier Jho Low — cash Low allegedly wanted to use to secure a coveted photograph with then-US president Barack Obama.
Michel, 52, was convicted of illegally funnelling part of the money into Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign through straw donors.
Prosecutors said he also tried to derail a US Justice Department investigation into Low, whose real name is Low Taek Jho.
Michel’s lawyers argued that Low’s donations were not driven by any US policy ambitions but by vanity.
“Low’s motivation for giving Mr Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective.
“Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama,” they had argued in Michel’s defence previously.
Low, a key financier of the Oscar-winning film The Wolf of Wall Street, remains wanted over billions allegedly looted from Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He is believed to be living in China.
The Guardian reported that US district judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly imposed the 14-year sentence yesterday in Washington DC. Michel declined to address the court before sentencing.
A federal jury in April 2023 convicted him on 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
His trial drew star witnesses, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former attorney general Jeff Sessions, illustrating the extraordinary reach of the case.
Justice Department prosecutors told the court that federal guidelines recommended a life sentence, arguing Michel had “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes”.
They added: “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.”
Michel’s lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, described the 14-year term as “completely disproportionate to the offence” and confirmed his client would appeal.
The defence argued that a life sentence would be “absurdly high”, saying the prosecution’s stance was “one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil”.
Prosecutors also said Michel tampered with witnesses and committed perjury during the trial.
Michel rose to fame as a founding member of the Fugees with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, winning two Grammy awards and selling tens of millions of albums. But his high-profile musical career has now given way to a lengthy prison term.
In August, the judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial, after claims that his previous lawyer had improperly used a generative AI programme to help draft closing arguments. The judge ruled the alleged missteps did not amount to a “serious miscarriage of justice”.
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