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WASHINGTON (AP) — A prominent defense attorney whose star clients have included Snoop Dogg pleaded guilty Friday to leaking grand jury information to reporters about a political conspiracy case against a rapper from the Fugees. Michel's trial included testimony from such figures as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Kenner’s attorney said in court documents that the reporters originally agreed to sign a protective order, but later changed their minds. L. Barrett Boss, one of the defense attorneys, said Kenner was planning to retire after Michel’s trial. But Boss said Kenner is “very strained financially” because he spent $1.4 million “out of pocket” on Michel’s defense.

Persons: Snoop Dogg, David Kenner, Suge Knight, Tory Lanez, Kenner, ” Michel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Sessions, ” Kenner, Michel, Peter Zeidenberg, Kenner misattributing, Diddy, Judge Amit Mehta, Mehta, Barrett Boss, Boss, Pras Michel, Erica Dumas, Barack Obama’s, Trump, DiCaprio, Jho, _____ Whitehurst Organizations: WASHINGTON, Bloomberg News, U.S, Bloomberg, Kenner, Justice Department, Hollywood Locations: California, Washington, U.S, Malaysian, China, Philadelphia

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's Sunday night, backstage ahead of the second Los Angeles show of Lauryn Hill and the Fugees' anniversary tour. It will be a few hours yet before Hill opens the concert with a solo set of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” 25 years after its release. Lauryn Hill & Fugees: Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 25th Anniversary Tour” has dates scheduled through mid-December. Michel, who faces up to 20 years in prison on the top counts, doesn't have a sentencing date yet. She is awarded a plaque for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” receiving diamond RIAA status; quotes from bell hooks appear on the screen behind her.

Persons: —, Lauryn Hill, Hill, ” Michel, Leonardo DiCaprio, ”, Ms, Michel, Peter Zeidenberg, Diddy, hasn't, “, Tiffany Haddish, Wyclef Jean’s, Drake’s “, Jean, it’s, they've, Stevie Wonder, Nas, ’ it’s, Lil Wayne, Travis Scott's Organizations: ANGELES, Kia, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington , D.C, ”, Lakers, Showtime Lakers, SoFi Locations: Angeles, ”, Washington ,, “, Inglewood

☆ In Praise of the Ever-Evolving Lauryn Hill
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Salamishah Tillet | More About Salamishah Tillet | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“She is having so much fun onstage” was the surprised thought that ran through my mind as Lauryn Hill kicked off her Ms. Lauryn Hill & Fugees: “Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” 25th Anniversary Tour at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark on Tuesday night. Perhaps Hill was also amped by the high stakes of the performance. Earlier this year, her Fugees group mate Pras was found guilty for an illegal foreign influence scheme, leading some to predict that this full reconciliation of Pras, Hill and Wyclef Jean would be their final tour as a trio. Or maybe, I was projecting glee back onto her since this was the first of her concerts at which I’ve felt fully at ease since attending her initial solo tour back in 1999. Every time since — including when I bought tickets to her performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in 2009, only for her entire European tour abruptly canceled — I’ve been disappointed by her inconsistency.

Persons: ”, Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill ”, Miseducation ”, Hill, Pras, Wyclef Jean, I’ve Organizations: Prudential Center, Montreux Jazz Locations: Newark, South Orange, N.J, ”, Switzerland

☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel's ex-lawyer botched his fraud trial by using AI for closing arguments, his new legal team says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

David Kenner, an attorney known for representing Suge Knight, Tupac Shakur, and Snoop Dogg, ran Michel's defense for the trial. AdvertisementAdvertisementBut Michel's new lawyers, a legal team from ArentFox Schiff, now say Kenner botched the defense by using an "experimental artificial intelligence program" to draft his closing arguments. "Michel never had a chance," the ArentFox Schiff team wrote, adding that Michel's legal defense was "deficient throughout." Michel's lawyers said his former publicist told them about Kenner using EyeLevel.AI to write the closing arguments. Kenner and the ArentFox Schiff team did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Persons: Pras Michel, David Kenner, Kenner, —, Michel, Suge Knight, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, ArentFox Schiff, Schiff, EyeLevel.AI Organizations: Service, Suge, Kenner, Kenner Law, Daily Locations: Malaysian, EyeLevel.AI, Encino , California, New York City, EyeLevel

The arguments in the Michel case could preview issues to come as the technology makes a rapid advance. “We think AI technology is gong to completely revolutionize the legal field by making it faster and cheaper to get complex answers to legal questions and research,” Katz said. “At bottom, the AI program failed Kenner, and Kenner failed Michel. Using it for closing arguments is complicated because of the many factors that develop over the course of a trial, he said. Generative AI, meanwhile, also sometimes produces “hallucinations,” statements that initially read as if they are accurate but are not.

Persons: ” Michel, Michel, David Kenner, Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg, Kenner, Diddy, Peter Zeidenberg, It's, Neil Katz, “, ” Katz, Sharon Nelson, “ It's, ”, Zeidenberg, Barack Obama’s, Trump, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeff Sessions, John Villasenor Organizations: WASHINGTON, —, Associated Press, Sensei Enterprises, Justice Department, U.S, University of California, American Bar Association Locations: Malaysian, China, Los Angeles

☆ The Fugees reunite for what may be their last performance
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The trio make up the hip hop group the Fugees and fans have long wanted them to reunite. But Michel is facing up to 20 years in prison after being found guilty in April in federal court in Washington, DC, on 10 criminal counts related to an international conspiracy. The Grammy winner was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. On Saturday, the Fugees performed their classics including “How Many Mics,” “Ready or Not,” “Killing Me Softly” and “Fu-Gee-La.”They had split in 1997. In 2021, they announced they would be reuniting for a tour in celebration of their 25th anniversary of forming.

Persons: Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Pras Michel, Michel, Jho Low, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, “ Fu, ”, “ Organizations: CNN Locations: Philadelphia, Washington ,, Malaysian

☆ Pras Michel Convicted of Involvement in Foreign-Influence Scheme Linked to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, exits federal court in Washington. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ Former Fugees Rapper Pras Michel Convicted of Role in Foreign-Influence Scheme Tied to 1MDB
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pras Michel, former member of the Fugees, leaving federal court in Washington earlier this month. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg NewsWASHINGTON— Pras Michel , who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the Fugees hip-hop trio, was found guilty Wednesday of serving as the linchpin of a multimillion-dollar foreign-influence scheme that spanned two presidencies and combined celebrity with political intrigue. After a monthlong trial, a jury in Washington convicted Mr. Michel on charges he improperly injected millions of dollars in donations to then-President Barack Obama ’s re-election campaign in 2012 and, years later, illegally lobbied the Trump administration.

☆ Fugees Rapper Pras Michel Found Guilty in Illegal Foreign Influence Scheme
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A founding member of the hip-hop group the Fugees was found guilty in federal court on Wednesday of orchestrating a sprawling international conspiracy that used millions of dollars worth of foreign money for illegal lobbying and campaign contributions, the Justice Department said. The rapper Prakazrel Michel, known as Pras, had been accused of accepting $865,000 from Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier, and giving that money to a network of straw donors who used it to make campaign contributions to former President Barack Obama in 2012. Mr. Michel was also accused by prosecutors of trying to convince the Trump administration and the Justice Department to drop federal investigations into Mr. Low related to embezzlement, as well as assisting China in its efforts to have a Chinese dissident brought back to China, according to the Justice Department. Mr. Michel, who received millions of dollars for his part in the schemes, was convicted of 10 criminal counts including money laundering, illegal lobbying, witness tampering and campaign finance violations, according to court records. He faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

☆ Pras Michel found guilty in scheme to help China influence US government
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

In his defense, Michel testified he never used the money at Low’s direction but instead saw it as his money which he could spend however he wanted. According to the prosecutors, Low directed over $100 million to Michel to help push the government, including Trump, to drop its investigation into Low. Prosecutors also say Michel advocated for the extradition of a Chinese dissident, Guo Wengui, on behalf of the Chinese government. Michel, however, testified he only tried to help Low find an attorney in the US and only told authorities about Guo because he thought he was a criminal. Low, who was charged along with Michel, is believed to be in China.

☆ Fugees rapper convicted in US over lobbying campaigns with Malaysian financier
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Nathan HowardWASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - A jury on Wednesday convicted Grammy Award-winning rapper Prakazrel "Pras" Michel of The Fugees hip hop group on criminal charges that he conspired with a Malaysian financier to orchestrate a series of foreign lobbying campaigns aimed at influencing the U.S. government under two presidents. Low, who also faces separate federal charges in New York that he embezzled $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, remains at large. Because federal election law prohibits foreigners from donating to U.S. campaigns, prosecutors said Michel masked the source of the funds. "Once he gave me the money, it was my discretion how I spent the money because it's my money," Michel told the jury, describing the payment as "free money." On whether he failed to register as a foreign agent, Michel told jurors that his attorney George Higgenbotham never told him it was required by law.

☆ Fugees star says money from Malaysian financier was for Obama photo, not campaign donation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Michel faces criminal conspiracy, foreign lobbying and campaign finance charges for allegedly plotting with Low to attempt to influence the administrations of Obama and former President Donald Trump. Michel said he used some of the funds for three friends to attend $40,000-a-plate fundraisers for Obama. "When you received the money from Jho Low, you used it to make political contributions," federal prosecutor John Keller said in a Washington court. "Once he gave me the money, it was my discretion how I spent the money because it's my money." Michel is accused of involvement with Low in three schemes, for which prosecutors say he was paid millions of dollars.

☆ Pras Michel: Former Fugees rapper testifies in his own trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

According to Michel, Low had asked him in 2012 to set up a picture of Low and Obama. Michel told Low to give him $1 million and he would think about how to make that happen. “I thought that I could just give my friends” money to contribute to the campaign, Michel told the jury. A prosecutor told Michel during cross examination that funneling donations through other individuals is illegal. Prosecutor John Keller also asked Michel about funds to help Low find an attorney, which Michel contested was not illegal.

☆ Ex-DOJ lawyer tells jury he met with Chinese to further illegal lobbying campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

George Higginbotham testified that he made money on the side while working at the Justice Department by offering legal advice to Michel, a long-time friend. But he did so anyway, telling the jury he let his friendship with Michel cloud his judgment. "This could get me in a lot of trouble," he told the jury he recalled thinking, adding that his actions were "definitely outside of official lines." Higginbotham, who pleaded guilty in 2018 for his role in the foreign influence campaign, testified that Justice Department investigators later found out about his meeting and questioned him. Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Andy Sullivan and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies at Pras Michel’s 1MDB Trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Byron Tau | Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been friends with rapper Pras Michel for years, hasn’t been accused of any crime. WASHINGTON—Actor Leonardo DiCaprio appeared in a Washington federal courthouse on Monday to testify in a closely watched criminal case featuring a potent mix of celebrity, money and geopolitical intrigue. The Academy Award-winning star of blockbusters such as “Titanic,” “The Revenant” and “Catch Me If You Can” appeared as a witness in a sprawling Hollywood-meets-Washington trial against the rapper Pras Michel , a founding member of the hip-hop trio the Fugees.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in conspiracy and fraud trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in a high-profile trial of Fugees member Pras Michel. Low helped finance the 2013 film "The Wolf of Wall Street" that DiCaprio starred in. Federal prosecutors claim Michel funneled money from Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low to illegally contribute to President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection. "Wow, that's a lot of money," DiCaprio recalled telling Low at the time. Michel faces several charges, including conspiring to make and conceal foreign campaign contributions and witness tampering.

☆ Leonardo DiCaprio testifies in Fugees rapper's lobbying trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Sarah N. Lynch | Thomson Reuters | Sarah N. Lynch Is The Lead Reporter For Reuters Covering The U.S. Justice Department Out Of Washington | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DiCaprio is one of several prominent figures linked to Low, who is suspected of embezzling $4.5 billion from Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. Michel faces 11 criminal counts for trying to influence the administrations of Obama and former President Donald Trump. Prosecutors said Michel agreed to funnel money into Obama's 2012 re-election campaign and hide the source of the funds. Prosecutors said Michel later waged an illegal influence campaign to persuade the Trump administration to stop investigating Low. Michel and other co-conspirators are also accused of lobbying the Trump administration at China's behest to return Guo to China.

☆ Fugees rapper Pras Michel was 'willing to break any laws necessary to get paid' in alleged international fraud scheme, prosecutor said
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The conspiracy and fraud trial of American rapper Pras Michel kicked off on Thursday. Prosecutors alleged that Michel was involved in an international scheme to influence the US government. Michel is accused of working with Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low. "Low had money to burn and the defendant was willing to cash in at any turn," Lockhart said. McMaster, casino mogul Steve Wynn, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who starred in the 2013 film "The Wolf Of Wall Street" that Low helped fund.

[1/5] Grammy award-winning Fugees rapper Prakazrel (Pras) Michel, who is facing criminal charges in an alleged illegal lobbying campaign, arrives for opening arguments in his trial at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., March 30, 2023. "This is a case about foreign money, influence and concealment," Lockhart said during her opening statement in Washington on Thursday. "Through this scheme, the defendant duped the Obama campaign," Lockhart told the jury. For his work on these two lobbying campaigns on behalf of Low and China, prosecutors said Michel was paid $70 million. Low remains a fugitive in the Michel case.

☆ Rapper Pras Michel Is Unlikely Defendant in Case of International Skulduggery
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Aruna Viswanatha | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Former Fugees rap star Pras Michel is trying to beat a case related to one of the largest financial scandals in history, one that has already toppled a prime minister and tarnished the reputation of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.Actor Leonardo DiCaprio , casino mogul Steve Wynn and senior Trump administration officials are among those expected to testify in the Hollywood-meets-Washington trial opening this week against Mr. Michel, who faces numerous criminal charges related to his business relationship with the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB fraud.

☆ ExodusPoint is on the comeback trail after a rocky 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It's the beginning of the month, which means a chance to see how the top hedge funds are performing. But the top dog among large multi-strategy hedge funds was ExodusPoint. Click here to check out the performance of top hedge funds like Citadel, Millennium, and Point72. Working on Wall Street is so bad this woman left to clean up crime scenes. Stacey Foyster detailed how after a decade on Wall Street in risk analysis, she opted for a career change.

☆ A judge just tossed out the Justice Department's bid to force Trump donor and casino mogul Steve Wynn to register as a foreign agent
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a 20-page opinion, Judge James Boasberg sided with Wynn's argument that the Justice Department lacked the power to force the disclosure of his alleged stint as a foreign agent of China. It was not immediately clear if the Justice Department would appeal. A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a prepared statement, Wynn's lawyers Reid Weingarten and Robert Luskin said they were "delighted" by the dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit they described as "ill-conceived." The Justice Department said Wynn agreed in 2017 to lobby on behalf of China in exchange for favorable treatment of his casino business in Macau.

☆ Feds plan to call Leonardo DiCaprio and former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly at trial of Fugees rapper Pras Michel
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

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. 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. As part of the scheme, prosecutors said, Michel recruited about 20 so-called "straw donors" who made campaign contributions with Low's money. Michel is charged with violating both FARA and that other statute, known as 951, in his alleged lobbying schemes.

☆ The Billion-Dollar Mystery Man and the Wildest Party Vegas Ever Saw
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Tom Wright | Bradley Hope | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Las Vegas, Nov. 3-4, 2012Around 6 p.m. on a warm, cloudless November night, Pras Michél , a former member of the ‘90s hip-hop trio the Fugees, approached one of the Chairman Suites on the fifth floor of the Palazzo hotel. He knocked and the door opened, revealing a rotund man, dressed in a black tuxedo, who flashed a warm smile. The man, glowing slightly with perspiration, was known to his friends as Jho Low , and he spoke in the soft-voiced lilt common to Malaysians. “Here’s my boy,” Mr. Low said, embracing the rapper.

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