"The Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel Pras Michel of the Fugees has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funnelling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former US president Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. Michel, 52, declined to address the court before US district judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him on Thursday."
"Justice department prosecutors said federal sentencing guidelines recommended a life sentence for Michel, whom they said betrayed his country for money and lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes. His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed, they wrote. Defense attorney Peter Zeidenberg said his client's 14-year sentence was completely disproportionate to the offense."
Prakazrel Pras Michel was convicted of 10 counts in April 2023, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, for illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. A federal jury found him guilty after a Washington DC trial that included testimony from Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Sessions. Justice Department prosecutors said federal guidelines recommended a life sentence and described Michel as betraying his country and lying to carry out his schemes. Defense counsel called a 14-year sentence disproportionate, recommended three years, and said Michel will appeal. Michel was a founding member of the Fugees.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]