Trump Could Pardon Fugees Rapper Pras Michel From Long Prison Sentence

Roz Edward

2 months ago

Donald Trump’s record for pardoning rap stars is relatively astonishing. On the last day of his last term No. 47 granted clemency to rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black along with Michael “Harry-O” Harris, co-founder of seminal rap label Death Row Records, after Snoop Dogg campaigned on his behalf.

Now Trump is is considering a pardon for Pras Michel of The Fugees who was sentenced 22-years in prison sentence for federal conspiracy and corruption charges.

Pras has reportedly secured the top lawyer for handling pardon requests for Trump allies, including Rudy Giuliani in his efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election, Steve Bannon in his contempt of Congress case for refusing to testify before the Jan. 6 committee, and a Southern California businesswoman sentenced to 26 months for fraud after her brother made his first federal political donation — $50,000 to Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.

 
The Grammy-winning rapper and long-time Trump supporter stands a good chance of being granted the pardon since his attorney may have failed to represent him properly and his actions may have negatively impacted the trial and ultimately the outcome. The misguided trial attorney went viral for misusing artificial intelligence to draft closing arguments, which contributed to Pras’ conviction. His publicist, Erica Dumas, said that the legal team is “exploring all available options following his case” and remains “optimistic about potential paths forward.”

In April 2023, Pras was convicted on 10 felony counts related to his ties with a Malaysian billionaire accused of embezzling billions from the country’s sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB. The U.S. Justice Department prosecuted the rapper-producer for his involvement in what the FBI described as the “largest kleptocracy case to date.”

The scandal involved multiple countries and key players, including Malaysia’s prime minister, a senior Goldman Sachs banker, and a prominent fundraiser from Donald Trump’s first presidential campaign. Additionally, it implicated several Hollywood figures, such as Leonardo DiCaprio, who had connections with the scheme’s alleged mastermind.

Given the fundraiser’s ties to the case and Trump’s own recent scrutiny by the same Justice Department’s public corruption unit that investigated Pras, the newly reinstated president might have a particular interest in granting a pardon to Pras.

Notably, Trump appeared on Pras’s 1998 debut solo album, “Ghetto Supastar,” through a voicemail included in an interlude. In the message, the then-business mogul expressed confidence in Pras’s potential success, stating, “I have no doubt that you’re going to be a big success,” and added, “I hope very soon you’re going to be in the leagues with me.

Pras is currently awaiting sentencing after being found guilty on 10 counts, including witness tampering, conspiracy, and failing to register as an agent of China.