Former Fugees rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel appeared in court in the US on Monday for jury selection on charges he conspired with wealthy Malaysian businessman, Low Taek Jho, to steer illegal foreign campaign funds into the 2012 US presidential election.
The US government alleges that between June 2012 and November 2012, Low directed the transfer of approximately $21.6 million from foreign entities and accounts to Michel to be funnelled into the US election while disguising it as legitimate campaign contributions.
The indictment did not reveal the identity of the presidential candidate. However, Michel, who is a US citizen, was a well-known avid supporter of former Democratic President Barack Obama, and federal election records show he contributed money to political committees that supported Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and other Democratic committees.
Under federal election law, it is a crime for foreign nationals to make political contributions in US federal, state or local elections.
Michel and Low, the Justice Department alleged, conspired to circumvent the law, in part by steering foreign money from Low through "straw contributors" who purported to make legal contributions in their own names. In doing so, the indictment said they hoped they could "buy access to, and potentially influence with a candidate, the candidate’s campaign and the candidate’s administration."
Source: Reuters
