Fugazi rapper Pras Michel sentenced to 14 years in prison as federal judge slams down harsh sentence
In a dramatic conclusion to a long-running case, US Federal Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has handed Fugazi rapper Prakazrel Michel - aka Pras Michel, the real name of one half of the iconic group - a 14-year prison term for his involvement in various crimes.
Michel, whose once-promising music career was marred by scandal and controversy, will be serving time on charges related to conspiracy, money laundering, and illegal lobbying. His lawyers had pushed for a much shorter sentence of just three years, but prosecutors had sought the maximum penalty, highlighting the severity of the case against him.
Michel's troubles began in 2019 when he was indicted by the federal government on four counts of making illicit contributions to Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Over time, additional charges were added, including bank fraud, witness tampering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The rapper's involvement, it emerged, had been linked to Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, who was accused of embezzling $4.5 billion from 1MDB.
Prosecutors alleged that Michel helped facilitate transactions between Low and Donald Trump's team in exchange for influencing the President to drop an investigation into Low and a Chinese dissident. "What benefit would I get trying to break laws?" Michel is quoted as saying, suggesting he had acted out of loyalty rather than malice.
Michel's conviction and subsequent sentencing have been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. While some have expressed concern for his well-being and support for the outpouring of love and goodwill surrounding him, others have criticized what they see as leniency in the punishment given the severity of his crimes.
As Michel prepares to report to prison on January 27th, his lawyers plan to appeal both his conviction and sentence. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Michel's spokesperson described the experience as a "dark chapter" but vowed that it was "not the end of his story."
In a dramatic conclusion to a long-running case, US Federal Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has handed Fugazi rapper Prakazrel Michel - aka Pras Michel, the real name of one half of the iconic group - a 14-year prison term for his involvement in various crimes.
Michel, whose once-promising music career was marred by scandal and controversy, will be serving time on charges related to conspiracy, money laundering, and illegal lobbying. His lawyers had pushed for a much shorter sentence of just three years, but prosecutors had sought the maximum penalty, highlighting the severity of the case against him.
Michel's troubles began in 2019 when he was indicted by the federal government on four counts of making illicit contributions to Barack Obama's re-election campaign. Over time, additional charges were added, including bank fraud, witness tampering and violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The rapper's involvement, it emerged, had been linked to Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, who was accused of embezzling $4.5 billion from 1MDB.
Prosecutors alleged that Michel helped facilitate transactions between Low and Donald Trump's team in exchange for influencing the President to drop an investigation into Low and a Chinese dissident. "What benefit would I get trying to break laws?" Michel is quoted as saying, suggesting he had acted out of loyalty rather than malice.
Michel's conviction and subsequent sentencing have been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. While some have expressed concern for his well-being and support for the outpouring of love and goodwill surrounding him, others have criticized what they see as leniency in the punishment given the severity of his crimes.
As Michel prepares to report to prison on January 27th, his lawyers plan to appeal both his conviction and sentence. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Michel's spokesperson described the experience as a "dark chapter" but vowed that it was "not the end of his story."
I feel so bad for Pras Michel - he had such a promising music career ahead of him... I mean, Fugazi is still iconic in hip-hop circles. 14 years feels like way too long though, you know? 
It's not just the prison time that's hard to swallow, it's the whole process and how it affected his life. I remember listening to his songs back in the day, feeling all that angst and emotion... now it feels like he's lost so much of himself. 
he was one half of an iconic group like fugazi and had so much potential but his personal life got out of control 
14 years is a harsh sentence but i guess he gotta pay for his mistakes 
it's crazy how things can spiral outta control with money, power & influence 
hope his lawyers can get him a shorter sentence on appeal 
the guy's music was always more than just the hype tho 
. And hey, at least he's got his fans looking out for him 
. I just hope he finds some inner peace in there and comes out even stronger on the other side 
. And yeah, maybe the punishment wasn't as harsh as others thought, but you can't put a price on justice, right? 
This sentence is crazy long lol what were they thinking giving him 14 years? like he said it was loyalty not malice and all he did was help out some business guy with a shady deal. I feel bad for him, I used to love his music back in the day but now I'm just not sure if I can support him anymore. Maybe he'll turn his life around in prison or something 
. seems like justice didnt quite fit here... anywayz, think its good that his lawyers are planning to appeal, maybe this means he'll get a reduced sentence? 
. According to the FBI alone, 1MDB scam involved $4.5 billion & this guy gets 14 yrs? Meanwhile, politicians are getting away with far worse stuff... did you see that 2022 report on corrupt leaders making off w/ trillions 
. Guess the law is catching up w/ Pras 
. Average length of prison sentence in the US? 41 months 
. Looks like Pras is in for a looong time 
.
. hope Pras gets the support he needs in prison, but you gotta respect the system doin its thing 
Here's a rough breakdown of the 14-year range in the Fugazi rapper's case: 
anywayz im still a fan i dont care bout all dat drama 
i mean, i know what's going on with pras michel and all, but can we talk about how much i love a good matcha fix? it's like a boost of energy in my cup 
️ anyway, back to pras... 14 years is pretty harsh if you ask me. i think he should've gotten some kinda rehab or community service instead of straight up prison time 
... but I guess not this time.
... seems like an easy cop-out to me. He's basically saying that just because he was friends with the guy (Low Taek Jho) and wanted to help him, he was entitled to break the law 
... but at the same time, its also kinda weird that people are still defending his actions