Last year, Fugees canceled their reunion tour due to legal troubles. It was reported that Pras — also known as Prakazrel “Pras” Michel — was facing a trial after being indicted in 2019 on charges of conspiracy, making a false statement, and two counts of falsifying records after making contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign on behalf of Malaysian businessman Jho Low.
Michel was accused of setting up bank accounts to help Low move money into the States, and Low was infamous for stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad sovereign wealth fund.
On Wednesday, April 26, Michel was found guilty on all 10 counts. According to the Justice Department, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the most severe counts in the case.
Michel has been charged with money laundering, campaign finance violations, acting as an unregistered agent for China, concealment and false record keeping, witness tampering, and false statements, according to Barron’s.
Leonardo DiCaprio testified for the prosecution of Low, saying, “I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia… a sort of prodigy in the business world, incredibly successful.” Low used stolen money to fund The Wolf Of Wall Street, as well as other projects.
