Pras Michel has turned himself in to begin his 14-year prison sentence for money laundering and illegal lobbying.

The Fugees rapper, whose real name is Prakazrel Michel, turned himself in to the Federal Correctional Institution in Safford, Arizona on Thursday (30.04.26) after he was convicted on 10 counts - including acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government - back in April 2023, after he accepted $100 million from disgraced Malaysian financier Jho Low to influence the administrations of US Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

His spokesperson Erica Dumas confirmed while he has handed himself in, Michael still intends to appeal the conviction.

She said: "Today is a painful day for Pras, for his family, and for everyone who believes in a fair system of justice.

"Pras honours the legal process as he reports to begin his sentence.

"The FARA-related charges that led to his conviction are being vigorously contested on appeal, and his legal team believes the record will show that his rights were violated and the truth was obscured.

"This chapter is difficult but it is not his final one."

In December, a motion filed by his team said the appeal "presents substantial questions" surrounding alleged "egregious" errors during his trial, including issues relating to "improper jury influence" and "sufficiency of evidence."

It added: "Neither the D.C. Circuit nor any other Court of Appeals has ever confronted this extraordinary degree of improper jury influence, which appears to be unprecedented."

Dumas said at the time: "This wasn't a fair trial. This was a coronation of guilt.

"We're confident the appeals court will recognise this case for what it is, an unprecedented trial that denies Pras' constitutional right to an impartial jury."

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence because the 53-year-old rapper had "betrayed his country for money" and "lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes."

They wrote: "His sentence should reflect the breadth and depth of his crimes, his indifference to the risks to his country, and the magnitude of his greed."

The Ready or Not hitmaker's team had sought a three-year prison term and felt a life sentence would be an "absurdly high" punishment because it is one typically handed down to terrorists and cartel leaders.

The charges included claims Pras violating campaign finance laws during Barack Obama's 2012 election campaign and illegally lobbed the Trump administration in 2017, but the musician argued he simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice while reinventing himself in the world of politics.