Fugees’ Pras Michel seeks to postpone 14-year jail sentence

Fugees member Prakazrel “Pras” Michel is seeking to postpone his 14-year jail sentence, claiming that his recent trial was “unfair”.

Pras was sentenced by a Washington DC court in November for his role in money laundering and campaign finance violation crimes, and was handed a lengthy jail term of 14 years plus three years of probation.

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The verdict relates to billion-dollar illegal finance dealings led by Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho, which saw money funnelled from a Malaysian state investment to various sources, including secretly donating money to Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential election campaign through shell companies which hid its origins in a foreign interference scandal.

On Friday, December 19, Pras’ legal team argued that he should be allowed to appeal the sentence before he’s made to serve time, and now seeks bail while he appeals his convictions.

In a statement given to Mixmag, a spokesperson for Pras argued: “This wasn't a fair trial. This was a coronation of guilt. We're confident the appeals court will recognise this case for what it is, an unprecedented trial that denies Pras' constitutional right to an impartial jury.”

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Five main arguments for appeal were put forward, claiming that the judge told the jury that Pras was guilty a total of eight times, and that an FBI agent testified over 25 times that Pras was guilty, and that he had “violated federal law”.

It also argues that another judge’s “probable cause” ruling was used to “poison the jury”, and that Pras’ second-chair attorney had never practiced law before, and may have used AI to prepare for the trial.

In a statement seen via Billboard, Pras’ legal team say they believe these problems, which all relate to his 2023 jury trial, could lead to the “reversal of nearly every count” he has been charged with.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter