Jeff Sessions

Ex-Fugees musician Prakazrel " Pras" Michel has been found guilty of 10 counts, including corruption, stemming from allegations he used money to peddle influence in the US.

Prosecutors said Mr Michel received More Than $100m (£80m) from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low that was used in two efforts to influence US politics.

He denied the charges, telling jurors that he thought it was " free money" and he was a " celebrity surrogate".

The rapper now faces years in prison.

Mr Michel, 50, was convicted of Campaign Finance violations, acting as an unregistered Foreign Agent , witness tampering, and lying to banks.

His lawyer, David Kenner , said that he was disappointed with the outcome of The Trial and plans to file an appeal.

" This is not over, " Mr Kenner said. " I remain very, very confident that we will ultimately prevail in this matter. "

Mr Kenner said he has also filed motions for a mistrial.

The Trial , which began on 30 March, saw testimony from Hollywood star Leonardo Dicaprio , as well as former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions .

The Grammy-winning musician was accused of bringing " secret, illegal, Foreign Influence to bear" during the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump , between 2012 and 2017.

Businessman Mr Low , who funnelled money to Mr Michel, is accused of stealing about $4bn from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund during The Infamous 1MDB scandal.

Mr Michel was alleged to have helped lobby Trump-administration officials to abandon their investigation into Mr Low 's part in it.

Additionally, Mr Michel was also accused of taking money to lobby US officials to extradite a US-based dissident, Guo Wengui , back to China.

The government's lead prosecutor, Nicole Lockhart, told jurors that Mr Michel " was looking for other ways to be paid" after his music career stalled.

She also said that he " saw an opportunity to make money" through Mr Low , who " needed a different type of help" to avoid the consequences of the 1MDB scheme.

While Mr Michel acknowledged taking money from Mr Low - including $20m to help him get a photo with Mr Obama - He Said he viewed the payments as " free money".

Taking The Stand in his own defence, Mr Michel said he also felt " betrayed" by his advisers and employees, who he claimed offered him bad advice on How To How To handle money and avoid breaking The Law .

He acknowledged, however, that it was " stupid" to reach out to " friends" who were " getting visits" from The Fbi about campaign contributions - an idea that led to his witness tampering charges.

Source of news: bbc.com