Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, middle, and his lawyer David Kenner arrive to federal court docket in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2023.

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Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, middle, and his lawyer David Kenner arrive to federal court docket in Washington, D.C., on April 3, 2023.

Bloomberg/Bloomberg through Getty Images

Grammy-winning musician Pras Michel has been convicted in a federal court docket in Washington, D.C., on 10 counts associated to prices that embrace conspiracy, witness tampering and failing to register as an agent of China.

It was a case that spanned actions on two continents and a number of nations, a star studded witness checklist, international intrigue and each home and worldwide affect peddling.

At the middle, prosecutors mentioned, was Michel, 50, a member of the 90s-era group Fugees whose 1996 album The Score stays one of many prime streaming albums of all time, later tried to reinvent himself as a businessman and a humanitarian. He netted the eye of federal authorities when he waded into worldwide and nationwide politics.

Ultimately, Michel was convicted of conspiracy, concealment of fabric info, making false entries in information, witness tampering, and serving as an unregistered agent of a international energy. He faces a most penalty of 20 years in jail. A sentencing date has not but been set.

Michel confronted prices stemming from his relationship to Jho Low, a Malaysian billionaire accused of stealing $4 billion from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

Back in 2012, prosecutors mentioned Michel used Low’s unlawful international cash to purchase seats for individuals at fundraisers for then President Barack Obama.

Years later, after the FBI began investigating Low for stealing cash, Low wished Michel and others to assist him persuade the Trump White House to go straightforward on Low.

One a part of that alleged scheme was to attempt to get Trump to ship a dissident residing within the U. S. again to China to curry favor with the Chinese authorities.

Prosecutors mentioned Michel collected about $100 million {dollars} from Low to attempt to affect two U.S. presidential administrations.

Low is believed to be in China; Michel stood trial alone.

And within the days of testimony, the witnesses included former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a prime White House adviser to former President Donald Trump and actor Leonardo DiCaprio whose film, The Wolf of Wall Street, was funded by Low.

DiCaprio arrived at court docket below heavy safety and testified that Low informed him he wished to spend $20 or $30 million {dollars} to assist re-elect President Obama again in 2012.

That testimony turned out to be fairly essential, since injecting international cash into the marketing campaign system was a key a part of the case towards Michel.

“As proven at trial, the defendant engaged in an extensive conspiracy to use millions of dollars in foreign funds to engage in illegal back-channel lobbying and make unlawful campaign contributions,” Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division mentioned in an announcement. “Today’s verdict demonstrates that anyone who engages in unlawful foreign-sponsored efforts to influence American officials, our elections, or the criminal justice system will be brought to justice.”

Michel’s lawyer, David Kenner, has vowed to enchantment. Earlier within the case, Kenner raised issues concerning the jury choice course of and a few of the decide’s rulings.

That could kind the premise of an enchantment later this summer time.

“This is not over,” Kenner informed reporters on the courthouse on Wednesday. “I remain very very confident that we will ultimately prevail in this matter.”