America. Refugee member convicted in massive corruption case

Hip-hop star Braz Michael, a former member of The Fugees, was convicted in Washington on Wednesday of involvement in an illegal influence campaign by a Malaysian financier at the center of a major corruption scandal.

The 50-year-old Haitian-American artist was found guilty of all charges against him after a weeks-long media trial, with actor Leonardo DiCaprio on the witness stand.

Justice Department spokesman Harry Litzke said Michael was “a key player in a vast conspiracy involving senior government officials.”

Brain is a network based in Malaysia

Between 2012 and 2017, the hip-hop star allegedly received around $100 million from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB scandal-mongering Malaysian Low Take Joe.

According to US officials, this large amount was used to contribute to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2012. While donations from abroad are prohibited in the United States, they are made through nominees and offshore organizations.

Bras Michael has been found guilty of conspiracy, racketeering and racketeering, and acting as an undercover agent of a foreign government. .

The artist was convicted in 2017 of illegally lobbying Donald Trump’s administration on China’s behalf for seeking the extradition of Chinese dissident billionaire Guo Wengui.

Guo Wengui, accused of defrauding thousands of investors to enrich himself, was arrested in New York in March for financial fraud.

Directed by Leonardo DiCaprio

The Malaysian businessman at the center of this wider scandal, Low Taek Joh, was indicted in 2018 for corruption and money laundering related to the looting of 1MDB funds that were supposed to contribute to Malaysia’s economic growth. On the run, he may now be in China.

The financier, along with other persons, was accused of using the money from the fund to buy luxury apartments, yachts or works of art, especially by financing films and surrounding himself with music stars, cinema etc. The Wolf of Wall StreetA film released in 2013 won Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar.

The actor described to jurors during the trial the decadent parties funded by Low Take Joe, and recalled that he promised “he wanted to make a substantial donation to the Democratic Party,” saying, “20 to 30 million dollars . I said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of money’…”