US charges Malaysian tycoon Jho Low and ex-Fugees rapper Prakazrel ‘Pras’ Michel with making illegal donations in 2012 election
- Indictment says Low directed transfer of US$21.6 million from foreign entities and accounts to Michel to be funnelled into campaign
- Candidate not revealed in document, but Michel was an avid Barack Obama supporter who donated to committee supporting former president
The US Justice Department announced on Friday it had charged former Fugees rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel and wealthy Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, popularly known as “Jho Low”, with conspiring to steer illegal foreign campaign funds into the 2012 presidential election.
According to the unsealed indictment, between June 2012 and November 2012, Low directed the transfer of about US$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.
