Photo: Getty Images
Pras Michel has been ordered to pay $64 million two years after he was convicted of illegal foreign lobbying and conspiracy charges.
According to a report Billboard published on Friday, October 31, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled that the Fugees rapper “obtained proceeds in the amount of at least $64,923,226 from his offenses," including conspiracy, witness tampering, and failing to register as an agent of China. The ruling was supposed to happen several months ago, but was delayed after Pras had to undergo emergency surgery to remove colon cancer.
“They already took 100 [million] from him and now they want another 64 [million]," said Michel's spokeswoman Erica Dumas.
Michel was charged with conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions and failing to register as an agent of China. He faced 10 counts of conspiracy, lying to the Federal Election Commission, and witness tampering. He was accused of making attempts to connect Malaysian entrepreneur Jho Low and the Chinese government to both the Obama and Trump administrations.
During the trial, Michel took the witness stand and admitted that he accepted $20 million from Low in 2012 in order to get a photo with former President Obama. Prosecutors alleged Michel took $800,000 of his earnings and sent it to Obama's campaign through an array of straw donors. He also allegedly advocated for the extradition of Chinese dissident Guo Wengui. Prosecutors told the court that Michel also tried to convince the Trump administration to drop the investigation into Low's role in the embezzlement scandal involving Malaysian wealth fund 1MDB after Low paid the artist another $100 million.
Michel denied accepting the $100 million from Low and claimed it was an investment for a media business he was creating. He claimed that he only tried to find Low an attorney, and told the authorities about Wengui because he believed he was a criminal.
The veteran rapper is set to be sentenced next month. His attorneys will most likely appeal both the ruling and his sentencing.