Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, founding member of the Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, turned himself in Thursday to the Federal Correctional Institution in Safford, Arizona to begin serving a 14-year prison sentence.
As TheGrio previously reported, Michel was formally sentenced in November 2025 after a federal jury convicted him on 10 counts of money laundering and illegal lobbying in April 2023, and he filed an appeal in December seeking to have the conviction overturned. Entertainment Weekly reported that his surrender had been pushed back multiple times before Thursday’s reporting date.
“Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice,” spokesperson Erica Dumas said in a statement. “Pras honors the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence. The FARA-related charges that led to his conviction are being vigorously contested on appeal, and his legal team believes the record will show that his rights were violated and the truth was obscured. This chapter is difficult but it is not his final one.”
The prison sentence stems from a case in which prosecutors accused him of funneling money from fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. He was also accused of working to derail a U.S. investigation into Low’s multibillion-dollar money laundering scheme and attempting to influence the extradition of a Chinese dissident. The high-profile trial included testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who had ties to Low through financing on the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
After his conviction, Michel sought a new trial on the grounds that his former attorney had used AI to draft a closing statement that bungled key elements of the case. A judge denied the request.
In the weeks before surrendering, the 53-year-old spent time with family and traveled to Los Angeles to watch Hill perform with Kanye West on April 3. He also dropped a lawsuit he had filed against Hill over the cancellation of their reunion tour.
The Fugees formed in 1990, with Michel and Jean drawing the group’s name from “refugees” as a nod to their Haitian heritage. Their 1996 album “The Score” sold an estimated 22 million copies worldwide.
