Former Fugees member Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of orchestrating an illegal campaign-finance scheme involving foreign funds directed toward the 2012 re-election campaign of former President Barack Obama.
Michel was convicted on ten counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Prosecutors alleged he received more than $120 million from Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and used at least $2 million of that money through straw donors to funnel funds into the campaign.
The sentence also includes three years of supervised release upon completion of the term and a criminal forfeiture order of approximately $64 million. Michel’s legal team announced plans to appeal, calling the sentence “disproportionate.”