Fugees Rapper Gets 14 Years in Prison for Illegally Donating to Obama's Campaign
In a shocking case, Grammy-winning rapper Pras Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who declined to comment on the decision.
Michel, 52, was found guilty of 10 counts including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington D.C. included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Prosecutors argued that Michel had betrayed his country for financial gain and lied repeatedly to carry out his scheme.
The Justice Department had requested a life sentence, citing the severity of Michel's crimes and the harm caused to the US. However, Michel's defense team argued that the 14-year sentence was excessive and disproportionate to the offense.
In a statement, Michel's lawyer Peter Zeidenberg said that the sentence was "completely out of proportion" and would be appealed. The defense claimed that the life sentence reserved for high-profile terrorists and cartel leaders was an "absurdly high" punishment for Michel.
Michel has been charged with lying to authorities about his foreign contributions, which were allegedly used to secure campaign donations from wealthy donors. The rapper had previously stated that he had acted out of a sense of patriotism, but the court rejected this claim.
The case highlights the complexities of US campaign finance laws and the challenges faced by law enforcement in tracking down foreign donations to political campaigns. While Michel's sentence may be seen as lenient by some, it has sparked debate about the fairness and effectiveness of the US justice system.
In a shocking case, Grammy-winning rapper Pras Michel has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who declined to comment on the decision.
Michel, 52, was found guilty of 10 counts including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The trial in Washington D.C. included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Prosecutors argued that Michel had betrayed his country for financial gain and lied repeatedly to carry out his scheme.
The Justice Department had requested a life sentence, citing the severity of Michel's crimes and the harm caused to the US. However, Michel's defense team argued that the 14-year sentence was excessive and disproportionate to the offense.
In a statement, Michel's lawyer Peter Zeidenberg said that the sentence was "completely out of proportion" and would be appealed. The defense claimed that the life sentence reserved for high-profile terrorists and cartel leaders was an "absurdly high" punishment for Michel.
Michel has been charged with lying to authorities about his foreign contributions, which were allegedly used to secure campaign donations from wealthy donors. The rapper had previously stated that he had acted out of a sense of patriotism, but the court rejected this claim.
The case highlights the complexities of US campaign finance laws and the challenges faced by law enforcement in tracking down foreign donations to political campaigns. While Michel's sentence may be seen as lenient by some, it has sparked debate about the fairness and effectiveness of the US justice system.
i dont get how he did all those millions in foreign contributions without anyone noticing lol idk if its right or wrong but i feel bad for him and his fam 
what happens now tho? does he get to appeal and try to get a shorter sentence? and btw has anyone seen that new season of the office on netflix??
...anyway, i think this case highlights how hard it is to keep track of who's donating to politicians and from where 
. the justice system needs to find a balance between fairness and being able to catch people who are breaking the law 
. personally, i'd love to see the inner workings of the campaign finance laws in action - it sounds like there was some pretty shady stuff going on 
...anyway, glad pras is getting some time but hope his lawyers can get him a more reasonable sentence 
I don't think it's fair that he got more time than the people who actually did something bad 
What if he just wanted to support Obama for real and didn't have anything to gain from it? 
Did he really lie about everything? I don't know 
. i mean, who even knows where all that foreign dough is coming from? 
what's next? 
The fact that the Justice Dept wanted life in prison tho is wild - 14 yrs seems kinda tame compared to what they're saying 
Anyway, I gotta side with Pras' lawyer here - this sentence does seem kinda harsh. Can't wait for the appeal 
, but i guess you can't just take money from china and donate it to barack's re-election without getting caught 
... maybe 12 yrs would've been a better sentence? still not sure what to think about this whole thing 
I feel really bad for Pras Michel 
, makes me think that the sentence is harsher than it needs to be 
. Maybe there should be some kind of middle ground? Like a shorter sentence or community service instead of prison time 
.
. It feels like they're trying to make an example out of him. Plus, have you seen the laws regarding campaign finance lately? They're so convoluted it's like they were written by a committee of accountants 
. I'm not saying Michel didn't break any laws or anything, but 14 years seems like overkill to me.
. i feel like it's a bit too long considering he was just trying to contribute from a different perspective. plus, didn't we learn from all that whole money in politics scandal thing back in '07? 
Pras Michel got 14 years for donating to Obama's campaign? Like, what's the worst he could've done? 
. It's just another example of how the system can be so messed up when it comes to justice... 