A member of renowned hip hop group Fugees has been convicted of illegally aiding Malaysia's Jho Low.
Rapper Pras Michel was convicted by US federal jurors for conspiring with Jho Low to end a probe of the Malaysian tycoon’s alleged 1MDB embezzlement, according to a «Bloomberg» report citing court proceedings.
Prosecutors in a Washington court said Low paid more than $100 million to Michel in two plots, one of which was to lobby the Donald Trump administration in 2017 to end the 1MDB investigations.
The other plot involved efforts to extradite dissident billionaire Guo Wengui to China. Both plots failed. Michel was also charged with illegally funneling Low’s money to a Barack Obama campaign in 2012.
Sentence
Michel was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act for helping Low; conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent of China and to commit money laundering; acting as an unregistered agent of Low; and as an agent of China in pushing for Guo’s extradition. He was also convicted of making false statements to banks and witnesses tampering.
Michel faces as many as 20 years in prison for the most serious charge. He denied any wrongdoing and attorney David Kenner said he will certainly appeal the verdict. Michel has until June 9 to contest the results of the trial.
Fugees
Michel rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the renowned hip hop group Fugees, alongside Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill.
Fugues was one of the best-selling hip hop groups of all time, producing famous hit singles such as «Killing Me Softly».
