Fugees rapper Pras has officially been found guilty on all counts in his federal trial for criminal conspiracy charges.
The verdict was handed down in federal court in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (April 26). According to CNN, the former Fugees artist was found guilty on 10 counts, including 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.
“We are extremely disappointed in that result but are very, very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case,” Pras’ attorney, David Kenner, told reporters. “If we do move to a sentencing hearing I remain very confident we will certainly appeal this case. This is not over.”
A sentencing date has yet to be set.
Pras was accused of a failed conspiracy to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to US officials, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In a rare and bold move, he opted to take the stand in his trial last week and testified that he served as an unofficial FBI informant regarding China’s efforts to extradite Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
Though he denied he worked with China on the Wengui matter, Pras said he voluntarily met with FBI agents on multiple occasions to discuss him and three Americans being held hostage in China.
“I took it upon myself to report because I thought the FBI should know,” he said.
Elsewhere in his testimony, Pras told jurors he served as a “celebrity surrogate” for Low, and that Low paid him $20 million to help him get a photo with Obama in 2012.
“They didn’t want the optics at that time,” Pras said. “At that point, Jho Low was a party guy — Vegas, champagne, parties with Paris Hilton. The campaign just didn’t want that.”
Pras insisted he never made any political donations on Low’s behalf, however, saying he used his own money and always ran things by his lawyers and accountants to ensure everything he did was on the level.
Prosecutors allege Pras was paid hundreds of millions of embezzled Malaysian dollars in exchange for running a foreign-influence campaign against the U.S. government.
While Low is also charged, he remains free and is believed to be hiding in China. Guo has since been arrested, however, and charged by the Justice Department with defrauding investors in an unrelated case.
Whelp, definitely isn’t going to be a fugees reunion now.
YOu could have said that before the arrest. That was never going to happen anyway…nor would I want it to. Two of the group members haven’t made music in over 25 years and Wyclef’s output in the past decade hasn’t been all that great.
Look beyond the shallow silliness of drug-dealing analogies and the hyper-obsession with “snitching”.
A lot of brothers need to be aware of the “hustles” that absolutely dwarf everything that they think they’ve seen or heard about growing up in urban America. “Game recognize game” but sometimes: It DOESN’T. choices are made and now consequences paid.
These people who are billion-dollar level hedge fund managers and international financiers are working at a scale that NOBODY from the ‘hood or the sticks is used to, regardless of whatever their current circumstances are. Anytime that ANYONE tells you that they are supposedly willing to pay you 1 million dollars just to get next to a prominent politician deserves to be looked at with suspicion, no matter how nice or pleasant their demeanor.
I know one thing: A hell of a lot of black men would have gone for that deal that Lou offered, thinking of themselves as big deal wheeler dealers, regardless of all of the slick rhetoric the online commenters have about it now.
People say he is a rat or snitching but they are really wrong. Being a mediator between billionaires with shady business intentions and the FBI is the proper definition of a smart gangster.
Yet people prefer street gangsters, lol
People say he is a rat or snitching but they are absolutely wrong. Being a mediator between billionaires with shady business intentions and the FBI or the government is the proper example of a real gangster move.
Yet people prefer street gangsters, lol
People say he is a rat or snitching but they are absolutely wrong. Being a mediator between billionaires with shady business intentions and the FBI or the government is the proper example of a real gangster move.
Yet people prefer street gangsters, lol
Uh, no. Still a rat… for snitching. If you are purposely involved in criminal activity, and tell on other people’s criminal activity, to lessen your own punishment, you are the textbook definition of a snitch.
Never trust the wakest member of a group. He got nothing to lose
Aside from his freedom and millions of dollars…..
Don’t trust somebody with a face like that. There’s secrets written all over that face. If he can take 100 million then he can take 20 years
If that were King Tekashi, he woulda kept it G all the way!