Source: Kevin Dietsch / Getty
Seems like being a Fugee can get you jammed up in some real legal trouble…
According to a report by CNN, Pras Michel was convicted of 10 counts of international conspiracy that aimed to influence both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump on behalf of the Chinese government. Yes, Pras is essentially a James Bond villain.
Source: Michael Loccisano / Getty
Pras’ benefactor is a Malaysian businessman named Jho Low who allegedly paid the rapper $20 million in 2012 in order to get a photo with then-POTUS Obama. Pras testified as much but also said that he was not Low’s meat puppet and did not “donate” $800,000 to the Obama campaign under Low’s direction.
In his defense, Michel testified he never used the money at Low’s direction but instead saw it as his money which he could spend however he wanted.
“I could have bought 12 elephants with it,” he told the jury.
Well, 12 elephants wouldn’t have you headed to the whoscow right now, just sayin’.
Source: Jeff Vespa / Getty
This guy really has a thing for American musicians…
Low’s shady business endeavors came under intense scrutiny by authorities in 2017 and the feds say that he once again went to Pras in an attempt to iron out his problems. Prosecutors say that Low put $100 million in Pras’ pocket and wanted him to convince Donald Trump to get the heated investigation dropped. In addition, Pras also lobbied for the extradition of a man named Guo Wengui who fled the country after staunchly opposing the Chinese government.
None of these attempted conspiracies actually came to fruition and we’re not sure what gave Low so much confidence that Pras was the man for the job but here we are. No sentencing date has been set but we will update you as more information becomes available.
