Pras Michel of the Fugees was sentenced to 14 years in prison for illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. The Justice Department prosecutors argued that Michel “betrayed his country for money” and recommended a life sentence for him.
Michel’s defense attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, argued that a 14-year sentence was “completely disproportionate to the offense” and recommended a three-year prison sentence. He obtained over $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low and funneled some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign.
The judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial, stating that trial errors, including the use of a generative AI program by his defense attorney, did not amount to a serious miscarriage of justice. If he fulfills his full sentence, Pras will be 67 years old when he gets out of prison.
