A Fugees rapper was convicted on Wednesday after a multimillion-dollar political conspiracies trial, which included testimony from Leonardo DiCaprio.
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was accused of funneling money to Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign through a now-fugitive Malaysian financier, Jho Low – one of the primary financiers of his film “Wolf of Wall Street.”
Michel was also accused of attempting to stop a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.
Michel is known as a founder of the 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees.
LEONARDO DICAPRIO TESTIFIES IN FEDERAL CASE AGAINST RAPPER ACCUSED OF FUNNELING MILLIONS
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was convicted in his case involving international money laundering and bribery. Leonardo DiCaprio testified in the trial. (AP Images/Getty Images)
A jury in Washington, D.C., federal court found him guilty of all charges, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
The defense argued Michel simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice as he reinvented himself in the world of politics.
After the verdict, Michel chose not to comment, but his lawyer shared he was “extremely disappointed” in the ruling and plans to appeal.
Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court in early April. (Getty Images / Associated Press)
“This is not over,” attorney David Kenner said. “I remain very, very confident we will ultimately prevail.”
During the trial, Michel took the stand.
He argued that Low wanted a picture with Obama in 2012 and was willing to pay millions of dollars to get it. Michel agreed to help and used some of the money he got to pay for friends to attend fundraising events. No one had ever told him that was illegal, he said.
Dicaprio didn’t face charges in the trial, but his testimony played a vital role.
Leonardo DiCaprio with Jho Low at “The Wolf of Wall Street” premiere in 2013. The actor testified that he first met Low in 2010. (Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff)
DiCaprio and Jho Low became friends after meeting at a birthday party in 2010, according to the actor. “I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia,” he said.
The “Titanic” actor explained that he had met Michel in the 1990s while backstage at a Fugees concert.
Low became a regular contributor to DiCaprio’s charitable foundation, and eventually Low floated the idea of providing the primary financing for “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
DiCaprio said he had Low’s funding and legitimacy carefully vetted before entering into a business relationship.
Jho Low was one of the primary financiers of the actor’s film, “The Wolf of Wall Street.” (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Netflix)
“I was given the green light by my team as well as my studio,” he said. “He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The 48-year-old actor also testified about a “casual conversation” he once had with Jho Low regarding millions of dollars he planned to donate to Obama’s reelection campaign.
Leonardo DiCaprio met Prakazrel “Pras” Michel in the 1990s. (Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images)
“It was a significant sum – something to the tune of $20-30 million,” he testified. “I said, ‘Wow that’s a lot of money!'”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Low is currently a fugitive. The financier is named as a co-defendant.
Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.