- Pras Michel, a founding member of the Fugees hip-hop group, is standing trial in DC next month.
- He’s accused of illegally lobbying Trump officials to resolve an inquiry into the 1MDB scandal.
- Leonardo DiCaprio received funding for “The Wolf of Wall Street” from an alleged co-conspirator.
For the upcoming trial of Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, federal prosecutors are planning to call a star-studded cast of witnesses headlined by the actor and Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio.
Michel, a founding member of the chart-topping 1990s hip hop group, is set to stand trial beginning November 4 on charges he illegally funneled contributions to then-President Barack Obama’s campaign in 2012 and later illicitly lobbied the Trump administration on behalf of the Chinese government and the Malaysian financier Jho Low.
Prosecutors allege, in part, that Michel waged an “illicit, for-profit, undisclosed foreign lobbying campaign” to help Low in connection with the Justice Department’s investigation into the looting of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, commonly known as the 1MDB scandal. Low was later charged with conspiring to launder billions of dollars from the 1MDB fund and pay bribes to Malaysian and Abu Dhabi officials.
In a court filing Sunday, prosecutors revealed a witness list that includes DiCaprio and top Trump administration officials, including former White House chief of staff John Kelly and former national security advisor H.R. McMaster, along with the prominent Republican fundraiser Elliot Broidy and the casino mogul Stephen Wynn. DiCaprio, whose 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street” received funding allegedly stolen from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, previously testified before a federal grand jury in connection with the 1MDB investigation.
At trial, prosecutors are expected to detail a yearslong influence campaign that began as early as 2012 with Michel helping Low inject his foreign wealth into that year’s presidential election, specifically in support of Obama’s reelection campaign. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said, Michel recruited about 20 so-called “straw donors” who made campaign contributions with Low’s money.
In exchange for those contributions, the donors had an opportunity to attend one of two fundraising dinners featuring Obama, each of which Michel attended. Following his initial indictment in 2019, Michel took steps to “intimidate and corruptly persuade” one of the straw donors and a fundraiser to not fully cooperate with the investigation, prosecutors said in a court filing.
After the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Michel and Low turned to a second influence scheme aimed at persuading administration officials to resolve forfeiture proceedings and a federal investigation related to the 1MDB scandal, prosecutors said.
In court papers,…
Read More: Feds Plan to Call Leonardo DiCaprio at Foreign-Influence Trial of Fugees’ Pras Michel