Rapper Pras Michel was spotted near a Washington DC courthouse on Tuesday as jury selection continues in his eagerly-anticipated fraud trial.
The New Jersey-born musician, who made his fortune as a member of The Fugees, became embroiled in a complex web spun by Malaysian financier Jho Low. Low remains on the run, and is believed to be living in China.
Michel, who styled himself as a political activist and connector of influential individuals after the Fugees disbanded, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of conspiracy, witness tampering, and failure to register as an agent of China.
Michel is accused of taking millions of dollars from Low to help him make political connections and influence people. Michel says he was seeking money for his own projects, and thought he was helping the United States.
One of Michel’s ‘missions’, on Low’s orders, was to convince the U.S. government to hand over a New York-based Chinese billionaire, Miles Guo, to the Chinese authorities. Guo is an ally of Steve Bannon and has now been arrested by U.S. authorities.