Pras Michel is speaking out in the wake of being hit with 10 felony counts of acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, the Fugees rapper is shutting down claims of being an informant.
“Look, I was never in the past, present, or future an FBI or a CIA informant,” Pras told TMZ.
“Never ever. If people want to check it out, look at the testimonies—they could see that all within the records, and all the DC courts.”
Subtly referencing claims made by fellow rapper 50 Cent, who labeled the “Ghetto
Superstar” rapper as a “rat,” Pras shunned any comparisons to rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, who saw a drastic fall from grace after taking a plea deal and cooperating with authorities in the trial against the Nine Trey gangsters.“This is not a Tekashi 6ix9ine situation, respectfully,” Pras said. “Because he admitted he was an informant, basically. So I was never. I never said I was. I am not now and never will be an FBI or a CIA informant.”
During his trial, Pras admitted to speaking with the FBI about his relationship with Malaysian financier Jho Low. His latest comments come after his legal team further reiterated his stance on not being an FBI informant.
“Simply stated, if Pras had been an informant for the government, he wouldn’t be on trial right now. The government does not prosecute and threaten its informants with more than two decades of jail time,” Pras’ rep told
Complex.“Pras never was an ‘informant’ for the FBI… Michel also told the jury he was simply a connector, helping Low find counsel for civil charges brought by the US government and letting government officials, including FBI agents, know that China wanted Guo extradited.
The rep continued, “To
be clear, an informant cuts a deal with the government, so why would he be on trial if he were an informant. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the reckless suggestion that he was an informant carries life-threatening implications in hip-hop circles.”Last month, Pras was convicted on 10 felony counts and charged with acting as an unregistered foreign agent of China, conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions, and witness tampering, NBC News reported. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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