According to defense counsel, Pras Michel, the Fugees rapper on trial in a multimillion-dollar campaign funding and foreign influence case was seeking to reinvent himself when he joined the political arena, not breaking any laws.
Prakazrel Pras Michel was a best-selling, Grammy-winning singer with the Fugees in the 1990s, but in the years after their separation, he was seeking his next chapter, prosecutor David Kenner said as he began presenting the defense case.
Pras Michel Defends Himself
Pras Michel surrounded himself with individuals to help him with his political shift and finally entered the circle of a wealthy Malaysian “playboy,” but he didn’t indulge in “James Bond… cloak and dagger stuff,” he added. “There was no agreement to do anything illegal,” Kenner stated. Low has insisted on his innocence.
Looted funds were used to purchase jewelry and fine art, as well as to fund Hollywood blockbusters such as “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Low looked to be a respectable businessman, according to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who indicated wanting to give to Obama’s campaign.
Prosecutors, on the other hand, claim that Low channeled millions of dollars to Michel, who then distributed the funds to straw donors to support Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012. Prosecutors claimed he then sought to use the contributions to discourage them from cooperating with investigators.
Michel is accused of political espionage under two distinct US administrations. Federal prosecutors claim he routed money from the fugitive Malaysian financier to Barack Obama’s reelection campaign in 2012. He’s also accused of attempting to stymie an inquiry into the businessman and convincing then-President Donald Trump’s administration that he should return to China as a “vocal critic of the government.”
According to the Justice Department, Michel collaborated with Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low. The fugitive financier is accused of masterminding a money laundering and bribery scam that stole billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB state investment fund.