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The United States has accused a Malaysian financier and a former member of the hip hop trio Fugees of exerting pressure to withdraw a probe related to the 1MDB The Malaysian state investment fund embezzlement scandal and the extradition of a Chinese dissident established in the US.
Jho Low, the alleged mastermind of the 1MDB fraud, and Prakazrel “Pras” Michel are accused of launching undisclosed pressure campaigns in 2017 aimed at the Donald Trump administration, according to a DoJ Statement released Friday.
Led by Low and China’s deputy public security minister, the alleged lobbying efforts of Michel and the Malaysian financier sought to persuade the US administration to abandon the investigation of Low and others into 1MDB and causing a dissident to be returned to China, according to the DoJ.
Michel and Low were accused of conspiring with individuals included Elliott Broidy, a former Trump fundraiser, and Nickie Lum Davis, a U.S. businesswoman, who pleaded guilty in 2020 to pressuring senior U.S. government officials to throw the 1MDB probe and deport the Chinese dissident. The DoJ said these efforts ultimately failed.
The financier and the artist were also accused of conspiring to commit money laundering. The hip hop star was also accused of manipulating witnesses and conspiring to make false statements to banks, according to the DoJ statement.
The new allegations highlight the complicated 1MDB fraud-related website, which involved illicit cash flows around the world and extended to the highest levels of global politics.
The DoJ alleges that a total of $ 4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund in a scandal U.S. officials have labeled it as “kleptocracy at its worst.”
Malaysia, which is conducting its own investigation into the affair, is seeking to recover billions of dollars from 1MB to buy luxury, expensive art properties and fund the Oscar-nominated film. The Wolf of Wall Street.
Low and Michel’s attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday. Low, who also faces charges in Malaysia, has denied the lack of illegal acts and remains at large.
Michel gained fame with the Fugees, a hip hop group that included Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean who reached stardom in the 1990s with hit singles such as Killing Me Softly i Ready or not.
Low and Michel were charged in 2019 for allegedly making illicit contributions to the 2012 U.S. presidential election campaign. Alleged DoJ Michel received about $ 21.6 million from Low and redirected the money personally and through about 20 “straw donors.”
If convicted, the Malaysian financier faces up to 10 years in prison per count, while Michel could face up to 20 years in prison per count.
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