Pras Michel, a Grammy-winning rapper turned political influencer, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for conspiring to wage a back-channel lobbying campaign to end U.S. probes of fugitive Malaysian tycoon Jho Low and other crimes.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Michel, 52, on Thursday in Washington federal court, where jurors convicted him in April 2023. The judge previously ordered him to forfeit $64.9 million.

Michel’s crimes included conspiring to illegally funnel Low’s money into the campaign of President Barack Obama in 2012 and trying to get American authorities to extradite a dissident Chinese billionaire.

Low, who is said to be in hiding in China, is wanted in connection with the multibillion-dollar collapse a decade ago of Malaysia state development fund 1MDB, which led to a guilty plea and billions in fines for Goldman Sachs Group Inc., as well as fraud convictions of some former bankers. Low has publicly said he is innocent.

The Michel case was first filed in 2019. He’d risen to fame in 1990s with the Fugees, one of the best-selling hip-hop groups ever. His attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, said he will appeal the conviction and sentence.

“We believe the verdict was unsupported by the evidence and that the sentence is completely disproportional to the facts alleged, particularly when compared to his co-defendants, all of whom were intimately involved in the same alleged scheme,” Zeidenberg said in a statement.

Michel testified in his own defense at the trial, denying wrongdoing before he was convicted of all 10 counts he faced. He didn’t address the judge at his sentencing, Zeidenberg said.

“There simply is no justification for Mr. Michel being singled out like this except for the penalty for opting for trial,” the lawyer said.

Prosecutors said Low paid more than $100 million to Michel in two plots. His conspirators lobbied President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017 to end U.S. probes of Low’s alleged embezzlement of billions of dollars from 1MDB. They also pushed to have Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese tycoon later convicted in a $1 billion investor fraud, sent back to China from the United States. Both efforts failed.

Prosecutors said Michel began doing Low’s bidding in 2012, when Low wanted a photo with Obama during his reelection campaign. Low allegedly sent $21 million to Michel through shell companies. Michel funneled $2 million through straw donors into Obama’s campaign and a super political action committee, Black Men Vote. Michel kept the rest, the U.S. said.

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified at the trial that he partied with Low. DiCaprio said Low told him he wanted to give $20 million to $30 million to the Democratic Party in 2012. Low also put $100 million into the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street," which starred DiCaprio.

Michel’s co-conspirators included former Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy; former Justice Department attorney George Higginbotham, who moonlighted as Michel’s lawyer; and Nickie Lum Davis, a Hawaiian businessman. All three pleaded guilty but Trump pardoned Broidy. Higginbotham and Broidy testified as government witnesses.

Michel was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act over his efforts to help Low; conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent of China and to commit money laundering; acting as an unregistered agent of Low; and as an agent of China in pushing for Guo’s removal.

Jurors also convicted Michel of conspiring to make false statements to banks, including City National Bank, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc., about the source and purpose of funds he got from Low. He was also convicted of witness tampering.

The case is U.S. v. Michel, 19-cr-148, US District Court, District of Columbia.

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