Following Pras Michel’s being found guilty in an international conspiracy scheme, The Fugees rapper has reiterated that he was never a FBI or CIA informant.
“I can’t really talk about the verdict, I got a lot more work to get done,” said Pras when he was approached by TMZ recently. Pras explained that he’s legally not allowed to speak about the verdict, and seemed nonplussed about the prospect of facing 20 years behind bars. As for the notion that he’s an informant—which is something 50 Cent accused him of—Pras shot down that idea, and any comparisons to Tekashi 6ix9ine, who famously took a plea deal and cooperated with authorities for a reduced sentence in the trial of the Nine Trey gangsters.
“Look, I was never in the past, present, or future an FBI or a CIA informant,” Pras said. “Never ever. If people want to check it out, look at the testimonies—they could see that all within the records, and all the DC courts. This is not a Tekashi 6ix9ine situation, respectfully. Because he admitted he was an informant, basically. So I was never. I never said I was. I am not now and never will be an FBI or a CIA informant.”
During his trial, Pras admitted that he spoke with the FBI about his relationship with Malaysian financier Jho Low. “Simply stated, if Pras had been an informant for the government, he wouldn’t be on trial right now. The government does not prosecute and threaten its informants with more than two decades of jail time,” a rep working for Pras told Complex via email last month. “Pras never was an ‘informant’ for the FBI… Michel also told the jury he was simply a connector, helping Low find counsel for civil charges brought by the US government and letting government officials, including FBI agents, know that China wanted Guo extradited.”
Pras was found guilty on all 10 counts in the trial, including conspiracy, acting as an agent of a foreign government, witness tampering, and falsifying campaign finance records. He has been accused of conspiring with Low to influence U.S. political campaigns. Low is facing charges in New York for allegedly embezzling $4.5 billion from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. He remains a fugitive and is believed to be residing in mainland China, although the Chinese government has denied these claims.
