According to pitchfork.com Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel has been found guilty by a federal jury on charges including alleged conspiracy, alleged witness tampering and allegedly failing to register as an agent of China, the Department of Justice announced.

Michael is  a founding  member of Fugee who later reinvented himself as a businessman and political figure. The artist was found guilty of all charges, including alleged conspiracy to alleged defraud the United States government and allegedly making foreign and conduit campaign contributions, one alleged count of concealing material facts and two alleged counts of making a alleged false entry in a record in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

Michael  was allegedly first charged in 2019, alongside the Malaysian fugitive Low Taek Jho, who is allegedly still at large and allegedly wanted internationally, both are in alleged relation to this case and for Low alleged role in the 1MDB scandal. Michael was allegedly accused of funneling money to Jho Low for alleged political campaigns and also of  allegedly making false statements in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

Prosecutors alleged that Low allegedly paid Michael roughly $100 million to allegedly influence American politics, first with alleged illegal political payments which were allegedly intended to support Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012 and later to allegedly influence Donald J. Trump and his administration to end a alleged Department of Justice investigation into Low.

In court Michael allegedly argued that he had allegedly been acting on the advice of his lawyers when he allegedly  met a Chinese minister at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York in 2017. The artist allegedly denied “willfully and knowingly” allegedly acting as a “secret agent under the direction and control of China when he approached the FBI,” his defense lawyers David Kenner and Charles Haskell allegedly wrote in court filings.

On April 18, Pras testified in court. He described himself as a “celebrity surrogate” for Low, claiming he was paid $20 million in an effort to get him a photo with Obama in 2012. Michael told jurors that he “basically asked for $1 million to start thinking about how” he might make the photo happen. The amount eventually grew to $20 million; Jho Low got the photo at a White House Christmas party. Pras also said he used his own money when he paid for friends to attend a 2012 Obama fundraiser.

Michael also testified that his alleged efforts to have Guo extradited were not as an agent of China, but he took meetings with the FBI agents voluntarily. “I took it upon myself to report because I thought the FBI should know,” he said. The case was sent for jury deliberation on Monday, April 24.

Earlier this month Michael testified in court where he allegedly described himself as a “celebrity surrogate” for Low, by allegedly claiming he was paid $20 million in an alleged effort to get him a photo with Obama in 2012.

Michael allegedly told jurors that he “basically asked for $1 million to start thinking about how” he allegedly might make the photo happen. The alleged amount eventually grew to $20 million;  Low allegedly got the photo at a White House Christmas party. Also Michael allegedly said he allegedly  used his own money when he allegedly paid for friends to attend a 2012 Obama fundraiser.

Michael allegedly testified that his alleged efforts to have Guo extradited were allegedly not as an agent of China but he allegedly took meetings with the FBI agents voluntarily. “I took it upon myself to report because I thought the FBI should know.” Michael said. The case was sent for jury deliberation on Monday, April 24.