Fugees Rapper Pras Gets 14 Years in Lobbying Case

Former Fugees rapper Pras Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegal lobbying, foreign influence operations, and corruption-related charges.

sarah

Nov 21, 2025 - 20:44

Fugees Rapper Pras Gets 14 Years in Lobbying Case

US prosecutors had recommended a life sentence for the Grammy Award winner when he is convicted in April 2023 on corruption and other charges, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent and witness tampering.

US District Judge Colleen Kolker-Kotelly handed down the sentence in a Washington, D.C., courtroom on Thursday. According to the Associated Press, 53-year-old Michel testified in his own defense during his trial but declined to speak in court on Thursday.

His lawyer said the sentence was "grossly disproportionate to the crime" and that he would appeal.

The musician, who was also found guilty of campaign finance violations and lying to banks, was accused of engaging in "secret, illegal, foreign influence" between 2012 and 2017, a period when Barack Obama and Donald Trump were in the White House.

US prosecutors said Mitchell received more than $100 million (£80 million) from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low, which was used in two attempts to influence US politics. He was also accused of lobbying on behalf of the Chinese government.

According to court documents, prosecutors said Mitchell "betrayed his country for money" and for nearly a decade "tried to take advantage of and defraud" numerous institutions within the US government, including the White House and the FBI, as well as his co-conspirators.

"Mitchell lied unapologetically and relentlessly to carry out his schemes," the prosecutor said. "His punishment should reflect the depth of his crimes, his recklessness toward the risks to his country, and the extent of his greed."

He recommended a life sentence, in accordance with federal guidelines.

The trial also featured testimony from Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio as well as former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Mr. Low, the businessman who paid Mitchell, was accused of stealing nearly $4 billion from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund during the infamous 1MDB scandal.

The Justice Department reached an agreement with the fugitive financier in June 2024 to return more than $100 million (£79 million) he allegedly embezzled from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund.

Mitchell was accused of previously helping lobby Trump administration officials to drop the investigation into Mr. Low's role in the scandal.

Mitchell's defense attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, stated that he believed the verdict was "not supported by the evidence" and the sentence was "completely out of step with the facts alleged," especially when compared to Mitchell's co-defendants in the case.

He stated, "There is no justification for singling out Mr. Mitchell in this manner, other than the punishment for choosing to stand trial." Mr. Zeidenberg noted that Mitchell's co-defendant, Elliott Broidy, was pardoned, George Higginbotham received three months' probation, and Nicky Lum Davis received a 24-month sentence.

He also stated that potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) would no longer be prosecuted, except where espionage was involved, and no espionage charges were filed in Mitchell's case.

Soon after taking office this year, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memorandum widely seen as curtailing FARA's reach, requiring individuals working for foreign interests in the US to regularly report those relationships and activities to the Justice Department. She wrote that the Justice Department would only prosecute cases involving "alleged conduct by foreign government individuals that amounts to traditional espionage."