WASHINGTON: Pras Michel, a Grammy-winning rapper-turned-political influencer, was convicted of conspiring to wage a back-channel lobbying campaign to end US probes into Malaysian Jho Low and get American authorities to extradite a dissident Chinese billionaire.
Federal jurors on Wednesday convicted Michel, 50, of other crimes, including conspiring to illegally funnel Low’s money into the 2012 campaign of President Barack Obama. Michel gambled by testifying in his own defence during the month-long trial in Washington, denying wrongdoing.
Michel showed no emotion as the foreperson declared him “guilty” on all 10 counts, and he faces as many as 20 years in prison on the most serious charge.
The verdict in Washington was a stark downfall for Michel, who rose to fame in the 1990s with the Fugees, one of the best-selling hip-hop groups ever.
Prosecutors said Low paid more than US$100mil to Michel in two plots. His conspirators lobbied President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017 to end US probes of Low’s alleged embezzlement of billions of dollars from the Malaysian Development Fund, 1MDB. They also pushed to have Guo Wengui sent back to China from the US. Both efforts failed.
“Michel was greedy,” prosecutor Sean Mulryne argued to jurors on April 20. “In exchange for Low’s millions, Michel agreed to do Low’s bidding over six, seven years.”
Outside the courthouse, Michel’s attorney, David Kenner, said he will “certainly appeal” the verdict.
US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly set no sentencing date, giving Michel until June 9 to contest the results of the trial.
Prosecutors said Pras began doing Low’s bidding in 2012, when Low wanted a photo with Obama.
Low allegedly sent US$21mil through shell companies to Michel. The rapper funnelled US$2mil through straw donors into Obama’s campaign and a super political action committee, Black Men Vote. Michel kept the balance, the US said.
Low was excluded from two Obama fundraisers because of the campaign’s concerns about his playboy image, but the tycoon got his photo with the president and his wife at a holiday party. US election law bars donations from foreign nationals and the reimbursement of straw donors.
Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio added a bit of celebrity pizazz to the proceedings. He testified he partied with Low, who told him he wanted to give US$20mil to US$30mil to the Democratic Party in 2012. Low also put US$100mil into the movie The Wolf Of Wall Street, which starred DiCaprio.
In 2017, Michel worked with others to try to squelch a US civil forfeiture lawsuit against Low and encourage Guo’s removal from the US, prosecutors said. For that, Low sent US$100mil to Michel, who gave some to his confederates, prosecutors said.
The plotters 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.Jurors heard that Michel and others met with Low in Thailand and China about lobbying to get the 1MDB case dropped. They also heard that Michel met in China and New York with Sun Lijun, the Chinese vice minister of public security, who was pushing for the Guo extradition.
Michel was convicted of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) 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 acting as an agent of China in pushing for Guo’s removal.
In his testimony, Michel denied conspiring with Low to funnel the tycoon’s money into Obama’s campaign. He said Low was willing to pay US$20mil for a photo.
He also denied he acted as an agent of China or knew he had to register with the US under FARA.
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.
Low was charged with Michel in Washington federal court, and he was indicted separately in the Eastern District of New York, where he’s accused of conspiring to launder billions of dollars in illegal proceeds and paying hundreds of millions of dollars in bribes.
In that case, the US alleges Low stole US$1.42bil from three bond transactions that Goldman Sachs Group Inc arranged.
In March, Guo was indicted in New York, where he’s accused in a US$1bil fraud case. He was an associate of Steve Bannon, the former White House strategist for Trump. — Bloomberg
