Judge Denies New Trial for Rapper Pras Michel

In a significant ruling on Friday, a U.S. judge rejected a bid for a new trial in the multimillion-dollar political conspiracy case involving Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a member of the Grammy-winning group the Fugees. The decision comes after Michel was found guilty on ten counts, including charges of funneling money from a fugitive Malaysian financier into Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and attempting to influence U.S. government actions under the Trump administration.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly dismissed the request for a retrial, stating that Michel’s defense team’s mistakes, including using a generative AI program during closing arguments, did not constitute a significant miscarriage of justice. 

Michel, who remains free while awaiting sentencing, had faced allegations of using straw donors to channel foreign funds into Obama’s campaign and later trying to obstruct a Justice Department investigation. Testimony during the trial included high-profile witnesses such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Michel could face up to 20 years on the most severe charges.

The defense argued that Michel followed poor advice as he attempted to transition from music to a new political career. His original attorney, David Kenner—renowned for representing figures like Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg—later admitted to leaking grand jury information to the media.

Michel’s new legal team claimed that Kenner made several critical errors, including using an “experimental” AI program that misattributed lyrics from the Fugees during the closing arguments. However, Judge Kollar-Kotelly found that these errors did not prejudice the jury against Michel, nor did they outweigh the substantial evidence presented by the prosecution.

Although the judge acknowledged that some of the defense’s concerns were valid, she concluded that they did not undermine the fairness of the trial or the strength of the case against Michel. The nearly month-long trial drew significant media attention and highlighted the complexities of international political influence and the challenges of navigating legal defense in such high-profile cases.

A representative for Michel did not immediately comment on the ruling, and the sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.