The Fugees.Photo:Taylor Hill/Getty
Taylor Hill/Getty
Ready or not, here comeThe Fugees— in what could be one of their last performances as a trio for quite some time.
DuringLauryn Hill’s set at the 2023 Roots Picnic in Philadelphia on Saturday, she brought out fellow Fugees' membersWyclef JeanandPras Michelto perform some of the group’s classic songs — as Michel, 50, awaits sentencing after beingfound guiltyof conspiring to help China influence the U.S. government.
Marking The Fugees' first reunion since a 2021 performance at Global Citizen Live in New York City, the Grammy-winning rap group delivered renditions of their hits “How Many Mics,” “Ready or Not,” “Killing Me Softly” and “Fu-Gee-La.”
The group could have some trouble organizing another reunion in the foreseeable future, as Michel currently faces up to 20 years in prison following his guilty verdict.
In late April, he appeared in a Washington, D.C. federal court while guilty verdicts were read out on 10 criminal counts related to aninternational conspiracyto provide Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government with access to the highest levels of the U.S. government,CNNreported.
This included attempts to access former presidentsBarack ObamaandDonald Trump, added CNN.
Among the criminal counts, Michel was found guilty of witness tampering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, reportedThe New York Times.
Pras Michel.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
No sentencing date was set at the time, and Michel did not comment to reporters while exiting the court, according to multiple outlets.
Speaking on his client’s behalf, Michel’s attorney David Kenner said that he was “confident” about seeking a mistrial.
“We are extremely disappointed in that result,” Kenner told reporters of the verdicts, perNBC News, “but are very, very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case. If we do move to a sentencing hearing I remain very confident we will certainly appeal this case. This is not over.”
Jho Low.Michael Loccisano/Getty
Low, who is currently an international fugitive, is suspected of embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia’ssovereign wealth fund, theWashington Postreported. It is believed to be one of the largest financial crimes ever recorded.
Per CNN, Michel previously testified that Low paid him $20 million in 2012 to facilitate a photograph with Obama. Prosecutors also alleged that Michel “funneled over $800,000” of Low’s money to Obama’s campaign via straw donors, the outlet added.
Leonardo DiCaprioand former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions were among those who testified in court during Michel’s trial, which began on March 30, per theBBC.
The Academy Award winner, 48, testified to both his friendships with Michel, whom he said he met in the 1990s, and Low, whom the actor said would invite celebrities to “lavish parties” around the world, CNN reported.
Leonardo DiCaprio.Kevin Mazur/Getty
Low allegedly helped finance theMartin ScorsesemovieWolf of Wall Streetwith money from the sovereign fund, added the BBC. He also giftedDiCaprio with Marlon Brando’s Best Actor OscarforOn the Waterfront, which the actor willingly returned in 2017 as the Department of Justice ramped up its investigation into the Malaysian’s activities, his representativestold PEOPLE in a statement at the time.
DiCaprio is not accused of any wrongdoing andreportedly testified to a grand juryregarding the investigation before Michel was indicted, reported CNN.
“Today’s verdict demonstrates that anyone who engages in unlawful foreign-sponsored efforts to influence American officials, our elections, or the criminal justice system will be brought to justice,” Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., an assistant attorney general with the Justice Department, toldThe New York Timesin a statement at the time.
source: people.com
