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Prakazrel “Pras” Michél was finally sentenced for his 2023 conviction for conspiracy and money laundering. The ex-Fugee was facing a maximum of 22 years in prison, per Billboard, but was sentenced to 14. This was a long time coming, as Michél unsuccessfully tried to get a retrial with the claim that his lawyer used AI to write his closing statement.
Michél was convicted on ten counts connected his role as an unregistered agent of Chinese and Malaysian interests in the U.S. Most of these have to do with Malaysian businessman Jho Low. He was found guilty of using $100 million of Low’s money to influence the Justice Department to end its investigation into Low. He was also convicted of funneling millions of Low’s money into Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. Michél claimed Low had paid him $20 million to get a picture with Obama, and that he legally donated $800,000 of that money to the reelection campaign.
After conviction, Michél sought a retrial. He claimed his lawyer, former Death Row Records counsel David Kenner, botched his closing argument by using artificial intelligence to write it. In September 2024, a judge denied his request in a 77-page ruling. The case will completely wrap up when Mark Wahlberg releases the documentary he is producing with Michél, according to Variety.
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