Pras is currently in the midst of his federal trial for criminal conspiracy charges, and recently dropped a bombshell when he took the stand.
According to Rolling Stone, The Fugees star took the stand on Tuesday (April 18) and discussed his relationship with Malaysian financier Jho Low – revealing he served as an unofficial FBI informant regarding China’s efforts to extradite Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. Low is named as a co-defendant in the case but is currently on the run.
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Testifying is rare and was certainly a bold move, but Pras reportedly told the judge he chose to do so “after consulting with my attorneys and the universe.” 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.
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Elsewhere in his testimony, Pras told jurors he served as a “celebrity surrogate” for Low, and that Low paid him $20million 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.”
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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.
The Fugees star also stands accused of trying to convince the Donald Trump administration to stop investigating Low and the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
“The defendant needed money and was willing to do anything to get it, including being an agent of the Chinese government,” prosecutor Nicole Lockhart said. “The defendant wanted money and was willing to break any laws necessary to get paid.”
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Pras pleaded not guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and falsifying records. He’s facing 22 years in prison if convicted.
