Fugees rapper Prakazler “Plus” Michel has reported to prison to be sentenced to 14 years in prison for money laundering and illegal lobbying.
The 53-year-old reported to the Federal Correctional Facility in Safford, Arizona, on Thursday, his publicist Erica Dumas confirmed in a statement to Page Six.
“This is a difficult day for Mr. Plath, his family and everyone who believes in a fair justice system,” Dumas said.
“Mr. Plas respects the legal process and reports that he will begin serving his sentence,” continued Mr. Dumas, confirming that they will “vigorously” seek to appeal.
The spokesperson added that Michelle’s legal team “believes the record shows that his rights were violated and the truth was suppressed.”
“This chapter is difficult, but it is not his last,” the statement concluded.
Dumas also said that the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which Michel was found to have violated, had been “decriminalized by the current administration, and Plas received seven times the amount of other whistleblowers.”
According to CNN, a federal jury convicted Michel in April 2023 of 10 criminal charges, including money laundering, illegal lobbying, witness tampering, and failure to register as a foreign agent.
Michelle was accused in 2019 by Malaysian investor Jho Low of illegally funneling millions of dollars into former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
The singer also allegedly tried to obstruct an investigation into Lowe’s money laundering fraud and tried to persuade the United States to extradite a Chinese dissident, according to Entertainment Weekly.
When Michel was sentenced in November 2025, prosecutors from the Department of Justice said he had “betrayed his country” and “relentlessly lied unapologetically to carry out his plan.”
Michelle was originally ordered to surrender in January, but a judge pushed back her prison start date to March and granted her an additional 30-day extension.
Dumas told Rolling Stone that Michelle’s appeal is “in the very early stages,” noting that they are dealing with a “very complex case.”
Michelle was busy during her last few weeks of freedom, attending a Kanye West concert in Los Angeles on April 3 and spending time in a suite with Dave Chappelle and Erykah Badu, a spokeswoman said.
Dumas also said that when former bandmate Lauryn Hill performed with West, Michelle also sang with her.
Michelle, Hill and Wyclef Jean formed the Fugees in 1990. The group won two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album for “The Score,” before disbanding in 1998.
