Pras of the Fugees Begins 14-Year Prison Sentence
The “Ghetto Supastar” rapper was sentenced for money laundering and illegal lobbying in November 2025.
Pras Michel, a member of the 1990's hip-hop group the Fugees and his lawyer David Kenner (R) arrive at U.S. District Court on April 3, 2023 in Washington, DC. Michel is on trial for his alleged participation in a campaign finance conspiracy.
Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.
Pras of the Fugees has begun a 14-year prison sentence for money laundering and illegal lobbying. The rapper, born Prakazrel Michel, turned himself in on Thursday, April 30, to the Federal Correctional Institution in Safford, Ariz. Pras was sentenced back in November 2025.
“Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice,” spokesperson Erica Dumas said in a statement. “Pras honors the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence. The FARA-related charges that led to his conviction are being vigorously contested on appeal, and his legal team believes the record will show that his rights were violated and the truth was obscured. This chapter is difficult, but it is not his final one.”
In 2019, the “Ghetto Supastar” rapper was accused of transferring money from Malaysian businessman Jho Low through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, trying to impede an investigation into Low’s money laundering and trying to persuade the U.S. to extradite a Chinese dissident. Star witness Leonardo DiCaprio was called to testify. A federal jury convicted Pras on 10 counts, including money laundering and illegal lobbying, back in April 2023.
In November, his defense attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, argued the 14-year sentence is "completely disproportionate to the offense." Michel is expected to appeal his conviction and sentence. Zeidenberg previously recommended a three-year prison sentence and called a life sentence an "absurdly high" punishment for Michel.
"The government's position is one that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil and, if anything, simply illustrates just how easily the guidelines can be manipulated to produce absurd results, and how poorly equipped they are, at least on this occasion, to determine a fair and just sentence," his defense wrote.
In the weeks before beginning his sentence, Pras reportedly traveled to Los Angeles to see his former bandmate, Lauryn Hill, perform with Kanye West on April 3. He’d previously dropped a lawsuit he filed against Ms. Hill for canceling their reunion tour.
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