Jury selection in the federal trial of former Fugees rapper Pras Michel began Monday, kicking off what is expected to be a weekslong trial that could feature testimony from high-ranking politicians, famous actors and business moguls.
The Grammy-winning artist is accused of making 2012 campaign donations to groups backing then-President Barack Obama without disclosing that the money came from Malaysian billionaire Jho Low. Prosecutors allege that Low funneled more than $21 million to Michel, who in turn used straw donors to make the campaign donations to pro-Obama groups.
Prosecutors further allege that the scheme continued into the Trump administration and that Michel used some of the money Low sent to fund a campaign aimed at stopping a Justice Department investigation into Low’s alleged role in embezzling billions of dollars from a Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB.
On Monday, a pool of potential jurors, who filled the ceremonial courtroom in Washington, DC’s federal courthouse, were read a star-studded list of names of potential witnesses from both the government and defense counsel to weed out any potential bias in the jury pool.
Attorneys read a list of more than 40 individuals who could be called to testify in the case, including actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, whose film “The Wolf of Wall Street” was funded in part by Low and who reportedly testified to the grand jury that handed down Michel’s indictment.
The list also includes Trump allies such as Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon and Republican megadonor Steve Wynn as well as ex-government officials like former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
Defense lawyers also rattled off a list of individuals and companies that could be referred to in the trial, including celebrities Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx, Britney Spears, Martin Scorsese…
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