Fugees Co-Founder Pras Michel Gets 14-Year Prison Term

Pras Michel, co-founding member of the Fugees, received a 14-year prison sentence for participating in a billion-dollar Malaysian money laundering scheme. The 53-year-old was convicted in April 2023 on 10 federal charges including campaign finance violations, money laundering, illegal lobbying, witness tampering, and lying to banks. Michel must also serve three years probation and forfeit over $64 million . The case involved fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, who allegedly embezzled $4.5 billion from Malaysian fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad. Prosecutors said Michel worked for Low, funneling millions into Barack Obama's 2012 campaign through straw donors and lobbying Donald Trump's administration to stop a DOJ investigation. Michel rejected a plea deal that would have limited his prison time to 16 months.