Political | Process

Michel, 52, also received three years of probation and was ordered last month to forfeit $64 million linked to the federal crimes.

Michel ran an international scheme in which he took $120 million from Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, who wanted to gain political influence in the United States, the Justice Department said. 

The rapper distributed some of that cash to roughly 20 straw donors, who then gave it to the Obama campaign.

Prosecutors had asked for a life sentence, saying Michel “betrayed his country for money” and “lied unapologetically and unrelentingly to carry out his schemes.”

“After Michel was caught, he tampered with witnesses and then perjured himself at trial,” the Justice Department said in court documents.

“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 prosecutors said.

Michel’s lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, however, called the requested life sentence “absurdly high” and recommended three years behind bars.

Michel’s legal team plans to appeal his conviction and sentence, Zeidenberg said. 

“Throughout his career Pras has broken barriers,” his spokesperson, Erica Dumas, told Rolling Stone. “This is not the end of his story. He appreciates the outpouring of support as he approaches the next chapter.”