Pras Michel just got some mixed news from a federal judge who basically said “nah” to keeping him free during his appeal, but threw him a bone with extra time.
The Fugees’ founding member lost his bid Thursday to stay out of prison while fighting his 14-year sentence for foreign influence crimes.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wasn’t buying what his lawyers were selling about substantial legal questions that could overturn everything. But here’s the thing that might save Pras some stress.
The judge moved his prison report date from next week to March 30. That gives him two whole months to work his appeal magic with the D.C. Circuit Court.
Kollar-Kotelly kept it real about why she denied the main request. She said Michel’s appeal just rehashes the same arguments she already shot down when his team asked for acquittal and a new trial. The evidence against him was too strong and too much to ignore.
The government didn’t even fight the delay request. They told the court they were cool with giving Michel time to ask the appeals court for the same bail relief. Smart move since it shows they’re not just trying to rush him into a cell.
Michel needed to prove his appeal raised a “substantial” question that could lead to reversal, a new trial, or a reduced sentence. The judge wasn’t convinced any of his legal arguments would change the outcome across all 10 counts that carry prison time.
The legal drama began in 2019, when federal prosecutors brought serious charges against Michel.
They said he received more than $100 million from Malaysian financier Jho Low, the mastermind behind the massive 1MDB embezzlement scandal that rocked the financial world. The prosecution painted a picture of Michel helping Low funnel dirty money through straw donors into Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign.
They also accused him of taking tens of millions more to lobby the Trump administration to drop Low’s criminal investigation and push for Chinese dissident Guo Wengui’s extradition.
Michel’s April 2023 trial was straight Hollywood drama. Leonardo DiCaprio took the witness stand to testify about his party-filled relationship with Low, who financed DiCaprio’s#### movie The Wolf of Wall Street.
Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions also testified about the lobbying efforts.
The jury didn’t buy Michel’s defense and convicted him on all 10 federal counts. The charges included conspiracy to defraud the United States, concealment of material facts, falsification of records, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Judge Kollar-Kotelly sentenced Michel to 168 months in prison last November, plus ordered him to forfeit $64 million allegedly connected to the scheme. The 14-year sentence runs concurrently across all counts, meaning he serves them at the same time rather than back-to-back.
Michel filed his notice of appeal on December 4 and his legal team is asking the D.C. Circuit to either vacate the verdict in its entirety or grant a new trial.
They’re also expected to ask that same appeals court to let him stay free while the process plays out.
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