Grammy-winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees was sentenced on Thursday to 14 years in prison for a case in which he was convicted of illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. 

Michel, 52, declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced him.

In April 2023, a federal jury convicted Michel 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.

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 is “completely disproportionate to the offense.” Michel will appeal his conviction and sentence, according to his lawyer.

Zeidenberg had recommended a three-year prison sentence. A life sentence would be an “absurdly high” punishment for Michel, given that it is typically reserved for deadly terrorists and drug cartel leaders, Michel’s attorneys said in a court filing.

“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,” they wrote.

Michel, a Brooklyn native whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, was a founding member of the Fugees along with childhood friends Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. Their hip-hop band won two Grammy Awards and sold tens of millions of albums.

Michel obtained more than $120 million from Malaysian billionaire Low Taek Jho — also known as Jho Low — and steered some of that money through straw donors to Obama’s campaign.

Michel said during trial that he viewed Low’s payments as “free money,” and accepted the millions over the course of nine months to help Low secure a photo op with Obama. He said under oath at the time that no one told him such payments toward political donations could have been unlawful or violations of campaign finance laws.  

The Justice Department also charged Michel with serving as an unregistered foreign agent for China, alleging that in 2017 he sought to sway the Trump administration to halt its probe into Low and to extradite a Chinese government target living in the U.S. That individual, dissident Miles Guo, was charged in New York in a billion-dollar fraud case and is still in custody.

Low, who has lived in China, was one of the primary financiers of “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a movie starring DiCaprio. Low is a fugitive but has maintained his innocence.

“Low’s motivation for giving Mr. Michel money to donate was not so that he could achieve some policy objective. Instead, Low simply wanted to obtain a photograph with himself and then-President Obama,” Michel’s attorneys wrote.

In August 2024, the judge rejected Michel’s request for a new trial based in part on his defense attorney’s use of a generative artificial intelligence program during his closing of the trial’s arguments. The judges said that and other trial errors didn’t amount to a serious miscarriage of justice.

Meghan Markle is sharing new stills from her latest interview.

The Duchess of Sussex, who sat with Harper’s Bazaar for their latest cover story, has now turned to her Instagram to share BTS from the photography.

This comes as Meghan spoke about setbacks as she works on her lifestyle brand ‘As Ever’.

“I can give myself the same grace as a founder,” she notes. “There’s no such thing as perfect. I, too, get to make mistakes… There’s also not a lot of fun in trying to be perfect. So why try to do that if you want to have fun?”

“My office is right by the kitchen, and I love that I can work from home. It’s a great luxury,” she added, before noting how her kids fill up a large part of her day.

Prince Harry left the Royal Family back in 2020 alongside wife Meghan Markle and son, Prince Archie. The couple later accused the Royal Family of showcasing racism towards their son and publicly shared their grievances on television. Harry and Meghan now live in California, where they also welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly appear to be entering a calmer, more grounded chapter in their relationship.

According to a new report by PEOPLE Magazine, the pair are “basically back together” after welcoming their daughter, Saga Blade, in April 2025.

“Their baby girl is their top priority, and she’s brought them closer than ever,” a source shared.

The insider further explained that the couple’s daily rhythm, emotional stability, and communication have all improved since embracing parenthood together, making this period markedly different from their turbulent past year.

“They’re in a much stronger place than they were even six months ago, and Megan says their baby has given her a sense of peace and healing.”

A previous report also highlighted that Fox was genuinely moved by how tender and attentive MGK has been with their daughter. 

This reportedly strengthened her trust and comfort with him.

“Things are great now,” the source told People. 

“He’s amazing with the baby, and she very much enjoys spending time with him.”