The American rapper Pras Michel (50) faces more than 20 years in prison. On Wednesday, the former member of hip-hop group Fugees was found guilty on 10 counts in a federal court in Washington in connection with an international political conspiracy. This is reported, among other things, by the TV station CNN. The conspiracy reached “up to the highest levels of the US government”.
The court ruled that the Grammy winner wanted to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low, 41, and the Chinese government gain access to senior US politicians, including former Presidents Barack Obama, 61, and Donald Trump (76). The conspiracy had largely failed and been exposed. The exact sentence for Pras Michel has not yet been determined, and a date for the pronouncement has also not yet been given.
His attorney, David Kenner, told the press after the verdict that he was disappointed. However, he was confident that his request for a rescheduling of the entire process could be successful. He also announced an appeal process: “It’s not over yet.” His client just wanted to make money and was legally badly advised.
Pras Michel first met Jho Low in 2006. The businessman financed major Hollywood productions such as “The Wolf of Wall Street” and had world-famous friends such as Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio (48) and Paris Hilton (42). DiCaprio also testified at Pras Michel’s trial. Low presented himself to him as a serious businessman and also announced that he wanted to donate to the Obama campaign.
The problem: In the United States, it is forbidden for foreigners to donate to an election campaign or to make funds available to third parties for this purpose. However, according to the court, Low gave Michel $20 million, most of which he then spent on Obama’s election campaign. Low also later attempted to suppress a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition process on behalf of China during the Trump years.
The Malaysian investor Low is considered the mastermind behind the conspiracy and has since gone into hiding. Back in 2017, he was in the press for a connection to DiCaprio. At that time, the US Department of Justice seized assets amounting to approximately 540 million US dollars on allegations of money laundering. DiCaprio had to hand over a painting by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) that Low had received to the US authorities.
