Fugees member Pras Michel admits to being an FBI informant
Rolling Stone has reported that Pras Michel, a member of the American hip hop group Fugees, which also includes Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, informed the court that he willingly met with and provided information to the FBI.
Last Tuesday, April 18th, Michel opted to make an uncommon choice by testifying at his federal conspiracy trial.
Michel stands accused of receiving payments to advance the objectives of China and aid Malaysian billionaire Jho Low in establishing political connections in the United States, with the intention of exerting influence over both the Obama and Trump administrations.
According to prosecutors, Michel conspired with Low and received $100 million to unlawfully lobby the Donald Trump administration to expel Guo Wengui, a self-proclaimed dissident from Beijing who faces charges of fraud in his home country.
Wengui is allegedly involved in a fraud conspiracy worth $1 billion and has been residing in self-imposed exile in the United States since approximately 2015. He has strong connections with Trumpist Republicans, including Steve Bannon.
In 2017, Mother Jones reported that the publication was approached with a pitch containing a four-page memo from Pras Michel "proposing an article on the US government’s refusal to grant China’s request for the extradition of a prominent dissident living in New York."
Michel stated in his defense that he had willingly met with FBI agents regarding China's attempts to extradite Guo Wengui.
According to Dan Friedman, a reporter at Mother Jones who attended the court case, Michel decided to testify in his trial “after consulting with my attorneys and the universe”.
Michel is facing accusations from prosecutors that he channeled funds from Low to support Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and that he lobbied the Trump administration to terminate an ongoing inquiry into Low and his 1MDB investment firm.
According to Michel's testimony, he asserted that a payment of $20 million from Low was intended to secure a photo opportunity with Barack Obama, with Michel acting as a "celebrity surrogate" to aid Low in attending political fundraisers that his reputation for partying would otherwise have hindered.
Michel allegedly transferred $1 million of the $20 million payment to a political group supporting Obama's re-election campaign in 2012. In addition, he is accused of funneling $865,000 to a group of straw donors who then used the money to make campaign contributions.
Michel has entered a plea of not guilty to multiple federal charges, including witness tampering, failing to register as an agent in China, and conspiracy, among others.
This includes “conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions using foreign funds”, and he could face 22 years in jail if convicted.
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