Rapper Pras Michel found guilty in scheme to help China influence Obama administration

Pras, the former front man of the hip hop group The Fugees, was convicted today for orchestrating a campaign to try to get former President Barack Obama to drop the investigation of a Malaysian fugitive businessman.

The Grammy-winning artist, birth name Prakazrel Michel, 50, was convicted of conspiracy, concealment of material facts, making false entries in records, witness tampering, and serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign power.

He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the top counts.

Michel was found to have conspired with Low Taek Jho, aka Jho Low, of Malaysia, to engage in undisclosed lobbying campaigns at the direction of Low and the Vice Minister of Public Security for the People’s Republic of China, respectively, to have an embezzlement investigation and forfeiture proceedings involving Low and others dropped and to have a Chinese national sent back to China.

“As proven at trial, the defendant engaged in an extensive conspiracy to use millions of dollars in foreign funds to engage in illegal back-channel lobbying and make unlawful campaign contributions,” said Kenneth A. Polite Jr., an Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Today’s verdict demonstrates that anyone who engages in unlawful foreign-sponsored efforts to influence American officials, our elections, or the criminal justice system will be brought to justice.”

Michel, according to court documents, also conspired with Low to orchestrate and conceal a foreign and conduit contribution scheme in which they funneled millions of dollars of Low’s money into the 2012 U.S. presidential election as purportedly legitimate campaign contributions, all while concealing the true source of the money.

Michel received Low’s money and contributed it both personally and through approximately 20 straw donors. He also caused a presidential joint fundraising committee and an independent expenditure committee to submit false reports to the Federal Election Commission.

In addition, Michel was found to have personally submitted a false declaration to the FEC, conspired to commit money laundering and make false statements to financial institutions related to the foreign influence campaigns, and attempted to cause witnesses to make false statements to and withhold information from law enforcement officials about the scheme.

“Michel played a central role in a wide-ranging conspiracy to improperly influence top government officials, including the then-President of the United States and the then-Attorney General,” said Harry A. Lidsk, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Cyber Investigations Office. “The DOJ-OIG uncovered this activity in 2017 and led an exhaustive investigation which culminated today with the conviction of the fourth charged conspirator. I would like to thank the members of the jury for their time and careful deliberation of the facts.”

“The defendant brazenly conspired to help a foreign national launder millions of dollars in illegitimate campaign contributions into the 2012 U.S. presidential election,” said Luis Quesada, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI and our partners are dedicated to uncovering even the most sophisticated schemes which could undermine our fair and transparent democratic process.”