Pras Michél walked into federal courtroom Thursday for a second that felt worlds away from the Fugees’ storied rise, as a choose sentenced him to 14 years in jail for a slate of political crimes tied to overseas cash, U.S. elections and behind-the-scenes affect campaigns.

The feds reportedly shadowed him for practically a decade. The once-celebrated artist now faces one of many hardest penalties ever handed to a Hip-Hop determine on federal political prices.

Michél was convicted in April 2023 on 10 counts, together with funneling unlawful overseas donations into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection marketing campaign and finishing up unauthorized lobbying aimed on the Trump administration in 2017.

Billboard reported that his sentence contains three years of probation after he completes the federal time period. He initially confronted as much as 22 years.

His consultant, Erica Dumas, launched a brief assertion to music/news/fugees-founder-pras-michel-sentenced-to-14-years-prison-1236587255/”>Variety acknowledging the gravity of the second.

“Throughout his career Pras has broken barriers. This is not the end of his story. He appreciates the outpouring of support as he approaches the next chapter.”

AllHipHop has adopted Pras’ authorized points because the earliest filings in 2019, when the allegations appeared weird for a Grammy-winning artist with deep ties to socially aware Hip-Hop. Federal prosecutors alleged that Michél used overseas funds to affect U.S. politics on a number of fronts, most notably via an effort to assist Malaysian financier Jho Low.

The trial featured testimony from Leonardo DiCaprio, an unprecedented Hollywood pop-in for a case rooted in political corruption, cross-border cash trails and an artist whose profession as soon as stood on cultural influence reasonably than covert political maneuvering.

Last month, a choose ordered Michél to give up greater than $64 million linked to the overseas affect scheme. That information landed simply as he was attempting to place himself for a retrial, accusing his former lawyer David Kenner, well-known in Hip-Hop authorized historical past for representing Suge Knight, of counting on synthetic intelligence to craft his closing arguments.

In early 2024, Kenner pleaded responsible to misdemeanor felony contempt over mishandled discovery supplies tied to Pras’ case.

After his conviction, Michél stated he would proceed to press ahead with an enchantment regardless of the mounting setbacks.

His give up date is ready for January 27, marking the beginning of a protracted authorized battle that locations certainly one of Hip-Hop’s most enigmatic figures on the heart of a federal case with international political ties.

For a gaggle just like the Fugees — constructed on concepts of liberation, consciousness, and cultural energy — the chapter closing round Michél is a heavy one.

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