Pras Pleads Not Guilty To To Federal Conspiracy Charges: Report

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Rapper Pras of the Fugees attends the launch of Jennifer Lopez's residency "JENNIFER LOPEZ: ALL I HAVE" at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on January 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The former Fugees member was indicted on counts of conspiracy, falsifying records, and making a false statement.

Things for former Fugees member, Pras Michel, aren't looking too good these days. Pras got hit with charges related to federal campaign finance crimes. The indictment included  “conspiracy to defraud the United States government and for making foreign and conduit campaign contributions,” and “one count of a scheme to conceal material facts and two counts of making a false entry in a record in connection with the conspiracy.”

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The U.S. Justice Department claims Pras tried to help transfer $21.6M into the United States from a Malaysian businessman who goes by Jho Low who was also included in the indictment. According to the Justice Department, the money came in the country within a six-month window between June 2012 and November 2012. Although the candidates who were to receive this donation of sorts aren't named, the money was alleged to be for the purpose of “funneling significant sums of money into the United States presidential election as purportedly legitimate contributions, all while concealing the true source of the money.”

In a statement to Pitchfork, Pras' lawyer, Barry J. Pollack said, "Mr. Michel is extremely disappointed that so many years after the fact the government would bring charges related to 2012 campaign contributions. Mr. Michel is innocent of these charges and looks forward to having the case heard by a jury.”

According to CNN, Pras pleaded not guilty to the four charges that he was hit with.

 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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