Pras Michel reported to federal prison in Safford, Arizona, on April 30 to begin his 14-year sentence. The Fugees rapper was convicted of funnelling roughly $100M in illegal foreign money from Jho Low into the 2012 Obama campaign and later lobbying the Trump administration to drop the investigation.
Pras Michel turns himself in to begin serving his 14-year federal prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 on charges including conspiracy, money laundering, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. The Fugees co-founder's fall from grace is one of the most shocking… pic.twitter.com/jWamZE362y
— Famease (@Fameasemedia) May 1, 2026
Ralper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees has reported to federal prison to begin a 14-year sentence. He was convicted for illegally funneling millions of dollars in foreign contributions to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. https://t.co/Gr0eP41OLM
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 3, 2026
“Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, founding member of the Fugees alongside Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, turned himself in Thursday to the Federal Correctional Institution in Safford, Arizona to begin serving a 14-year prison sentence.
As TheGrio previously reported, Michel was formally sentenced in November 2025 after a federal jury convicted him on 10 counts of money laundering and illegal lobbying in April 2023, and he filed an appeal in December seeking to have the conviction overturned. Entertainment Weekly reported that his surrender had been pushed back multiple times before Thursday’s reporting date.
“Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice,” spokesperson Erica Dumas said in a statement. “Pras honors the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence. The FARA-related charges that led to his conviction are being vigorously contested on appeal, and his legal team believes the record will show that his rights were violated and the truth was obscured. This chapter is difficult but it is not his final one.””