Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the influential 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, was sentenced on Thursday to fourteen years in federal prison after being found guilty on ten counts related to a complex foreign‐influence scheme. The decision follows his April two-thousand twenty-three conviction for illegal campaign contributions, conspiracy, acting as an unregistered foreign agent and witness tampering.

The scheme centred on Michel’s long connection with Malaysian financier Jho Low, a fugitive accused of diverting billions from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. Prosecutors presented evidence that Michel received in excess of one hundred twenty million dollars from Low and channelled tens of millions of it into United States elections and high-level lobbying efforts, including illegally funneling contributions into the two-thousand twelve re-election campaign of then-President Barack Obama and attempting to influence the Trump Administration to terminate an investigation of Low’s activities.

At the sentencing hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Michel to surrender by January twenty-seventh, two-thousand twenty-six and also imposed three years of supervised release following his prison term. Moreover, Michel was required to forfeit at least sixty-four point nine million dollars of illicit proceeds. The judge characterised his actions as “a betrayal” of American institutions for personal gain.

Throughout the trial, the government called high-profile witnesses, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who testified about his connection with Low’s film investments. The case also underscored the U.S. Department of Justice’s renewed emphasis on prosecuting foreign-influence operations under the Foreign Agents Registration Act and other statutes.

Michel’s legal team announced plans to appeal, calling the sentence “disproportionate” compared with co-defendants, some of whom received far lighter punishments or presidential pardons. Michel’s spokesperson noted that while this moment is difficult, it is “not the end” of his story and thanked supporters for their continued encouragement.

For his part, Michel—who rose to fame with the Fugees’ multi-platinum two-thousand-ninety-six album The Score—issued no statement at the hearing. His sentencing marks a dramatic fall from grace for one of hip-hop’s most celebrated artists and shines a spotlight on the intersection of entertainment, politics and international finance in the digital age.