Pras Got A Lot Of Trouble Coming!

Pras faces 30 years in funnelling foreign money.

The former Fugees rapper Pras Michel is facing another federal sandwich. He has faced a federal charge for trying to pressure Washed Up 45 to drop an investigation into Jho Low, an associate of the rapper and former president.

Low and Michel were charged two years ago in federal court in Washington, D.C., with allegedly illegally funneling millions of dollars of Low’s money to support the 2012 presidential campaign of then-President Barack Obama.

The new indictment also accuses Michel and Low of conspiring to commit money laundering related to the foreign influence campaigns, the Justice Department said. Michel is additionally charged with witness tampering and conspiracy to make false statements to banks.

Pras is now labeled a foreign agent.

The suspect is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The DOJ alleged that between June 2012 and November 2012, Michel aided in the illegal transfer of approximately $865,000 from foreign entities into the Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign. The DOJ alleged that these funds were disguised as purportedly legitimate contributions, but were stolen from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Ultimately, the DOJ alleged that $21 million in foreign campaign contributions were funneled into the 2012 US presidential election to benefit "Candidate A". The Washington Post and The New York Times identified "Candidate A" as Barack Obama.

In June 2021, Pras was charged by a federal grand jury for running a back-channel campaign to get the Washed Up 45 administration to drop an investigation of Jho Low and the 1MDB investment company.

He was also accused of advocating for the extradition of a Chinese dissident, Guo Wengui, from the United States. In the plea documents of former DOJ employee George Higginbotham, Pras was accused of paying Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy and others to have Guo extradited to China. Though unnamed in the filings, Pras is "easily identified" due to linked cases and confirmation from sources close to the case. Pras "vehemently and unequivocally" denied accusations related to Higginbotham's case.

As of 2021, due to the charges against him, Pras cannot travel internationally. In January 2022, The Fugees cancelled their planned international reunion tour, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.