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Jho Low

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crime2 years ago

Fugees' Pras Michel convicted in illegal lobbying and foreign influence scheme.

Ex-Fugees musician Prakazrel "Pras" Michel has been found guilty of 10 counts, including corruption, stemming from allegations he used money to peddle influence in the US. Michel had received more than $100m from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low that was used in two efforts to influence US politics. The rapper was also convicted of lobbying on behalf of China's government. Michel, 50, was convicted in a Washington DC court of campaign finance violations, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, witness tampering and lying to banks.

via BBC|
#corruption#crime#jho-low
crime2 years ago

Ex-Fugees rapper Pras Michel convicted in foreign-influence scheme trial.

Former Fugees member Pras Michel has been convicted on 10 felony counts, including acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering. Michel had pleaded not guilty to all charges. The charges stemmed from Michel’s relationship with a Malaysian billionaire businessman, Jho Low, who spent lavishly on an extravagant lifestyle and famous friends. Michel will appeal his conviction after sentencing.

via NBC News|
#crime#fugees#illegal-campaign-contributions
crime2 years ago

Fugees' Pras Michel convicted in political corruption case.

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, has been convicted on 10 counts related to charges that include conspiracy, witness tampering, and failing to register as an agent of China. Michel was accused of using illegal foreign money from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low to buy seats for people at fundraisers for then President Barack Obama and trying to influence two U.S. presidential administrations. Michel faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and his attorney has vowed to appeal.

via NPR|
#crime#foreign-influence#fugees
politics2 years ago

Pras Michel, Former Fugees Rapper, Convicted in International Fraud and Political Conspiracy Scheme.

Rapper Pras Michel has been found guilty on all 10 counts related to an international fraud scheme funded by Malaysian financier Jho Low to peddle influence in the United States. Michel was accused of immersing himself in American politics at the behest of Low, who paid him millions to help launder money Low had allegedly embezzled from a state-owned investment fund in his home country. The alleged scheme involved payments to Barack Obama's 2012 presidential reelection campaign and efforts to convince the Trump administration to extradite a Chinese national. Michel plans to appeal the verdict.

via CBS News|
#1mdb#campaign-finance#foreign-influence
crime2 years ago

Ex-Fugees rapper Pras Michel convicted in political conspiracy involving foreign influence.

Former Fugees rapper Pras Michel has been found guilty of 10 criminal counts related to a conspiracy to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to US officials, including former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Michel was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Michel testified that Low paid him $20 million in 2012 to get a picture with Obama, and prosecutors alleged Michel funneled over $800,000 of that money to Obama’s campaign through straw donors.

via CNN|
#china#conspiracy#crime
crime2 years ago

Fugees rapper Pras Michel convicted in US political conspiracy trial.

Grammy-winning rapper Pras Michel of The Fugees has been convicted on criminal charges of conspiring with Malaysian financier Jho Low to orchestrate a series of foreign lobbying campaigns aimed at influencing the US government under two presidents. Michel was charged with 10 counts of crimes including conspiracy, acting as an agent of a foreign government, witness tampering, and falsifying campaign finance records. Low, who also faces separate federal charges in New York that he embezzled $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, remains at large.

via Reuters|
#crime#fugees#jho-low
law2 years ago

Pras Michel's Lawyers Present Defense in Conspiracy Trial.

Defense lawyers for Pras Michel, the Grammy-winning rapper and producer charged with making illegal campaign contributions and failure to register as an agent of China, began presenting their case in federal court. Michel's lead lawyer reminded jurors that Michel had grown up in poverty before he founded the Fugees with Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean and achieved wealth and fame by age 25. Michel has been charged with felony counts alleging his participation in a conspiracy to make illegal campaign contributions using foreign money, witness tampering and failure to register as a foreign agent of the Chinese government.

via NBC News|
#conspiracy-trial#foreign-agent-registration-act#illegal-campaign-contributions
crime2 years ago

Illegal lobbying and political donations: Testimonies reveal shocking details.

Former DOJ attorney George Higginbotham testified in court that he worked on behalf of hip-hop artist Pras Michel as part of an illegal foreign influence campaign to persuade the Trump administration to return a dissident to China. Higginbotham made money on the side while working at the Justice Department by offering legal advice to Michel, including facilitating some of Michel's dealings with Jho Low, a businessman who prosecutors say embezzled billions of dollars from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Higginbotham pleaded guilty in 2018 for his role in the foreign influence campaign and testified against Michel, who is accused of accepting millions of dollars to carry out three different illegal lobbying campaigns on Low's behalf.

via Reuters|
#crime#doj#george-higginbotham
entertainment2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies Against Fugees Rapper Pras Michel in Federal Trial.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in the trial of Fugees member Pras Michel, who is accused of a campaign finance scheme to re-elect Barack Obama. DiCaprio met Michel in the '90s and had attended a Fugees concert. He also developed a friendly relationship with Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman accused of stealing billions of dollars from his country's sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. Low allegedly transferred more than $21 million of foreign money to Michel, who then funneled $865,000 in campaign contributions through straw donors to Obama's re-election campaign, violating all kinds of laws. Michel has pled not guilty, while Obama and DiCaprio aren't accused of any wrongdoing.

via Entertainment Weekly News|
#campaign-finance#entertainment#fugees
crime2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies in Fugees Rapper's Money-Laundering Trial.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in a federal court trial involving international money laundering, bribery, and rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel. Michel is accused of funneling money from a fugitive Malaysian financier through straw donors to Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. DiCaprio's connection with the case comes from his years-long relationship with the financier, Jho Low, who was one of the primary financers of the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street." Low is currently a fugitive but has maintained his innocence.

via USA TODAY|
#bribery#crime#jho-low
crime2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio Takes the Stand in High-Profile Trials.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in a federal court as part of a trial involving international money laundering, bribery, and a prominent rap artist. Michel, a founding member of The Fugees, is accused of funneling money from a fugitive Malaysian financier through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. DiCaprio's connection with the case comes from his years-long relationship with Low, who was one of the primary financiers of the movie The Wolf of Wall Street. Low is accused of masterminding an international money laundering and bribery scheme that stole billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB.

via The Guardian US|
#bribery#crime#jho-low
entertainment2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio testifies against Fugees' Pras Michel in alleged influence scheme trial.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court in Washington, D.C., as a prosecution witness in the trial of hip-hop star Pras Michel, who is accused of running an illegal multimillion-dollar influence scheme by funneling money from a Malaysian financier into U.S. politics, including making contributions to former President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign. DiCaprio spoke about his relationship with the alleged fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low and how Low allegedly leveraged money to gain access to powerful and wealthy people, including celebrities. Michel is charged with conspiring to commit fraud, making illegal campaign contributions, and falsifying records, among other counts.

via ABC News|
#campaign-contributions#entertainment#illegal-influence-scheme
entertainment2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio Takes the Stand in Fugees' Pras Michel Trial.

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified in the trial of former Fugees member Pras Michel, who is facing charges of conspiracy and witness tampering related to his relationship with Malaysian billionaire Jho Low. Prosecutors allege Michel helped steer Low's money into Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign and then tried to influence the Trump administration to drop a criminal case against Low, in exchange for nearly $100 million. DiCaprio testified about his dealings with Low, including receiving gifts and pay for his work on The Wolf of Wall Street, which Low helped finance.

via NPR|
#conspiracy-trial#entertainment#jho-low
crime2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies in Fugees Rapper's Trial for Alleged Conspiracy.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in court that his team vetted Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman and international fugitive, who is accused of stealing billions from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Michel, a former Fugees member, is accused of conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions using foreign money, witness tampering, and failure to register as a foreign agent of the Chinese government. Low's funding covered the "financing of the film, payment of the cast and crew" and everything that goes into moviemaking, according to DiCaprio.

via NBC News|
#1malaysia-development-berhad#crime#illegal-campaign-contributions
crime2 years ago

Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in the trial of former Fugees member Pras Michel, who is accused of participating in a global campaign-finance conspiracy funded by Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman who allegedly stole billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. DiCaprio testified about his relationship with Low and attending lavish parties with him, as well as Low's offer to fund a movie for him. Prosecutors allege that Low laundered money from 1MDB through a Los Angeles-based movie production company, Red Granite Pictures, which funded DiCaprio's 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street."

via CNN|
#1mdb#campaign-finance-conspiracy#crime