Rapper Who Funneled Millions In Illegal Donations to Obama Campaign Jailed
Grammy Award–winning rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel — once a member of the iconic Fugees trio — is now facing 14 years in federal prison after a sweeping conviction for steering millions in illegal foreign money into Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. The 52-year-old musician offered no final remarks before U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly handed down the sentence Thursday.
Michel’s downfall began in April 2023, when a Washington, D.C., jury found him guilty on 10 felony counts, including conspiracy and operating as an unregistered foreign agent. The trial featured star-studded testimony from actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to the Independent.
Federal prosecutors argued that Michel’s conduct merited a life sentence, claiming he “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.” In their filings, prosecutors insisted, “His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed.”
Michel’s attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, blasted the court’s decision as “completely disproportionate to the offense,” and confirmed that an appeal of both the conviction and sentence is forthcoming. His team had urged a three-year sentence instead. In earlier filings, they argued that even the possibility of a life term was “absurdly high,” noting that such penalties are typically reserved for terrorists and cartel leaders.
They wrote that the government’s stance was so extreme “that would cause Inspector Javert to recoil,” highlighting how easily federal sentencing guidelines “can be manipulated to produce absurd results.”
While Michel heads to prison for illegally boosting Obama’s political career, the former president is still weighing in on the Democratic Party’s ideological direction — and leaning sharply left.
Speaking earlier this month on the “Pod Save America” podcast, Obama urged Democrats to fold socialists more deeply into the party coalition, warning leaders not to impose “litmus tests” on members. Praising newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — a self-described Democratic Socialist — Obama called him “part of a vision for the future.”
“Tuesday was nice, but we’ve got a lot of work to do. And your task is going to be not to impose litmus tests,” Obama said, pointing to victories from “Abigail Spanberger” to “Zohran Mandani.” “They are all part of a vision for the future. Our job is to say that we want everybody engaged.”
He continued: “And we want to have a conversation about how to make sure that every person in this country is treated with dignity and respect… and that deep down there is something core in us that we have in common that is extraordinary.”
Mamdani’s victory was powered by a sweeping socialist agenda: higher taxes on businesses and high-income earners, a citywide rent freeze, free public transportation and childcare, and even city-run grocery stores. It’s an agenda beloved by the far left — but one that may be toxic beyond the activist base.
Recent polling underscores the trend. A Gallup poll from Sept. 8 revealed that only 42% of Democrats maintain a positive view of capitalism, while 66% now view socialism favorably. The next day, NewsNation political commentator Chris Cillizza warned on his YouTube channel that the Democratic Party’s drift toward socialism could be a disaster in the 2028 presidential race.
“I guess it’s not terribly surprising, but I do think if I am a Democrat who wants to win the 2028 election … That would worry me candidly because socialism broadly will not sell,” Cillizza said. “You can call it democratic socialism. You can call it whatever you want. But the idea of socialism will not sell in the country.”
Meanwhile, under President Donald J. Trump’s second-term leadership, the administration continues to highlight exactly how foreign money, elite corruption, and left-wing ideological extremism have shaped the modern Democratic Party — and the Pras Michel case is yet another high-profile reminder.