Fugees rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison over illegal donations to Obama campaign скачать в хорошем качестве

Fugees rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison over illegal donations to Obama campaign

(21 Nov 2025) ASSOCIATED PRESS Archive: Washington D.C. - 3 April 2023 1. Various of arrival of Pras Michel ASSOCIATED PRESS Archive: New York - 4 September 1996 2. STILL IMAGE: The Fugees, and crew, arrive at New York's Radio City Music Hall 3. STILL IMAGE: The Fugees, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Prakazrel Michel perform at the MTV Video Music Awards ASSOCIATED PRESS Archive: New York - 26 February 1997 4. STILL IMAGE: The Fugees perform at the 39th annual Grammy Awards ASSOCIATED PRESS Archive: Port-au-Prince - 12 April 1997 5. STILL IMAGE: The Fugees perform on stage in front of the City Hall ASSOCIATED PRESS Archive: Pyongyang, North Korea - 31 August 2014 9. Wide shot Pras Michel speaking to reporter 10. Medium shot Pras Michel speaking to reporter STORYLINE: Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. The 52-year-old musician declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him. In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel of 10 counts, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington, D.C., included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Justice Department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, whom they said “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.” Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg said his client's 14-year sentence is “completely disproportionate to the offense.” Michel will appeal his conviction and sentence, according to his lawyer. Zeidenberg had recommended a three-year prison sentence. A life sentence would be an “absurdly high” punishment for Michel given that it is typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders, Michel's attorneys said in a court filing. Michel, a Brooklyn native whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, was a founding member of the Fugees along with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. Their hip-hop band won two Grammy Awards and sold tens of millions of albums. Michel obtained over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — and steered some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign. Michel also tried to end a Justice Department investigation of Low, tampered with two witnesses and perjured himself at trial, prosecutors said. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...