Washington, USA – A federal court in Washington sentenced musician Brass Michel,
a member of the famous band Fugees, to 14 years in prison after he was convicted in corruption cases.
He played the role of an “unregistered foreign agent” and tampered
with witnesses, in addition to campaign finance violations.
Influencing American politics
The US prosecution had recommended a life sentence for him.
This comes after investigations proved that he received more
than $100 million from fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low.
Those funds were used in covert efforts to influence US policy between 2012 and 2017.
During the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
He betrayed his country for money
The Justice Department, according to the Washington Post,
said that Michelle “betrayed his country for money.”
She accused him of attempting to “exploit and deceive” US government institutions.
Including the White House and the FBI,
In addition to being involved in lobbying on
behalf of the Chinese government as well.
The case, which garnered widespread attention,
featured prominent testimonies.
Among them are the testimony of Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio
and former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
1MDB Malaysian Scandal
Michel’s lawyer, Peter Zaidenberg, defended his client,
deeming the sentence “completely disproportionate” to the charges,
and announcing his intention to appeal the verdict.
He pointed out that the penalties for Michelle’s partners
in the case were much lighter; Elliott Broidy received a presidential pardon.
While George Higginbotham received a lighter sentence,
Nicky Lamb Davis was sentenced to only 24 months in prison.
The conviction comes in the context of the fallout
from the infamous Malaysian 1MDB scandal.
In which Jho Low was accused of embezzling
up to $4 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund,
This was before the US Department of Justice reached an agreement
with him in 2024 to recover more than $100 million.
The harshest sentences
The sentence handed down to Brass Michel, 53, is among the harshest ever issued.
In cases of illicit political lobbying in the United States in recent years,
Amid ongoing controversy over the application of FARA,
the law regulating foreign agents’ activities.
