Fugees' rapper Pras Michel convicted in foreign influence case

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/26/ [login to see] /pras-michel-trial-verdict-guilty
Grammy-winning musician Pras Michel has been convicted in a federal court in Washington, D.C., on 10 counts related to charges that include conspiracy, witness tampering and failing to register as an agent of China.

It was a case that spanned actions on two continents and multiple countries, a star studded witness list, foreign intrigue and both domestic and international influence peddling.

At the center, prosecutors said, was Michel, 50, a member of the 90s-era group Fugees whose 1996 album The Score remains one of the top streaming albums of all time, later tried to reinvent himself as a businessman and a humanitarian. He netted the attention of federal authorities when he waded into international and national politics.

Ultimately, Michel was convicted of conspiracy, concealment of material facts, making false entries in records, witness tampering, and serving as an unregistered agent of a foreign power. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.