Pras will not be getting a chance to redo the trial that found him guilty of criminal conspiracy charges despite his attorney’s unorthodox methods, a judge ruled late last week.
Last Friday (August 30), Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the Fugees member’s motion for a new trial, and issued a 77-page decision laying out her reasoning.
Pras was convicted back in April for his role in a failed conspiracy to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to US officials, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The “Ghetto Superstar” rapper was found guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Just a few months after conviction, Pras began working toward bringing his case back to life on grounds of his ex-attorney apparently messing up “the single most important portion” of his defense by using generative AI to put together a closing statement.
In her decision, the judge admitted that Pras’ attorneys had indeed used an AI program “as a preparation tool” throughout the proceedings, and even had it write part of the closing argument. The prompt was: “I am a passionate attorney who believes in my clients [sic] innocence. Write a powerful, emotionally compelling closing argument and integrate lyrics from Ghetto Superstar by the band the Fugges [sic].”
To add to the confusion, the resulting AI-generated argument — segments of which Pras’ lawyer David Kenner used, in slightly modified form, during the actual trial — quoted from Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” but attributed the lyrics to Pras.
But that wasn’t enough for Judge Kollar-Kotelly. In her view, any AI mistakes didn’t change the facts of the case.
“Notably, the content derived from the AI program did not relate to any evidence in the case, only general sympathetic statements and one lyrical quote,” she explained in her decision.
“Because [Pras] Michel has not shown sufficient prejudice resulting from the defense team’s use of the AI program (and the subsequent inclusion of Puff Daddy lyrics), the Court concludes that Michel has not demonstrated ineffective assistance of counsel on this basis.”
While awaiting sentencing, Pras has been keeping busy — including by making a song about his bandmate.
Last month he he appeared to diss Lauryn Hill on “Bar Mitzfa” following the cancelation of the Fugees’ U.S. tour.
Pras seemingly took aim at his longtime Fugees comrade on the song, but has since denied taking shots at her on wax.
“It’s not a diss track,” he clarified in an interview with Vulture. “You’re family, you have internal disagreements, but it’s not going to be on a level where I’m dissing her. Sometimes we say things because that’s how we express ourselves.”
Elaborating on his grievances with Ms. Hill, Pras said: “This is not something that just happened overnight. My frustration was for the fans. They are paying their hard-earned money to see you.”
Pras Seemingly Blames Lauryn Hill For Latest Fugees Tour Cancelation: ‘Cat’s Out The Bag’
He also acknowledged that he shared the frustration of the fans when it comes to Hill as a live performer, with the singer frequently being hours late to shows.
“There’s magic when the three of us are onstage,” he admitted. “But there’s obviously reservation. We don’t even ask her if she’s gonna be on time anymore; we say, ‘How late is she going to be?’
“It gets to a point that you say, is it even really all worth it?”
Pras will not be getting a chance to redo the trial that found him guilty of criminal conspiracy charges despite his attorney’s unorthodox methods, a judge ruled late last week.
Judge Denies Pras’ Motion for a New Trial
Last Friday (August 30), Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the Fugees member’s motion for a new trial, and issued a 77-page decision laying out her reasoning.
Pras’ Conviction and Charges
Pras was convicted back in April for his role in a failed conspiracy to help Malaysian businessman Jho Low and the Chinese government gain access to US officials, including Barack Obama and Donald Trump. The “Ghetto Superstar” rapper was found guilty on 10 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
AI Use in Pras’ Defense
Just a few months after conviction, Pras began working toward bringing his case back to life on grounds of his ex-attorney apparently messing up “the single most important portion” of his defense by using generative AI to put together a closing statement.
Judge’s Decision on AI Use
In her decision, the judge admitted that Pras’ attorneys had indeed used an AI program “as a preparation tool” throughout the proceedings, and even had it write part of the closing argument. The prompt was: “I am a passionate attorney who believes in my clients [sic] innocence. Write a powerful, emotionally compelling closing argument and integrate lyrics from Ghetto Superstar by the band the Fugges [sic].”
Pras’ Response and Controversy
To add to the confusion, the resulting AI-generated argument — segments of which Pras’ lawyer David Kenner used, in slightly modified form, during the actual trial — quoted from Diddy’s “I’ll Be Missing You,” but attributed the lyrics to Pras.
Judge’s Ruling on AI Use
But that wasn’t enough for Judge Kollar-Kotelly. In her view, any AI mistakes didn’t change the facts of the case.
“Notably, the content derived from the AI program did not relate to any evidence in the case, only general sympathetic statements and one lyrical quote,” she explained in her decision.
“Because [Pras] Michel has not shown sufficient prejudice resulting from the defense team’s use of the AI program (and the subsequent inclusion of Puff Daddy lyrics), the Court concludes that Michel has not demonstrated ineffective assistance of counsel on this basis.”
Pras’ Recent Activities
While awaiting sentencing, Pras has been keeping busy — including by making a song about his bandmate.
Last month he he appeared to diss Lauryn Hill on “Bar Mitzfa” following the cancelation of the Fugees’ U.S. tour.
Pras’ Clarification on Song
Pras seemingly took aim at his longtime Fugees comrade on the song, but has since denied taking shots at her on wax.
“It’s not a diss track,” he clarified in an interview with Vulture. “You’re family, you have internal disagreements, but it’s not going to be on a level where I’m dissing her. Sometimes we say things because that’s how we express ourselves.”
Pras’ Frustrations with Lauryn Hill
Elaborating on his grievances with Ms. Hill, Pras said: “This is not something that just happened overnight. My frustration was for the fans. They are paying their hard-earned money to see you.”
Pras Seemingly Blames Lauryn Hill For Latest Fugees Tour Cancelation: ‘Cat’s Out The Bag’
He also acknowledged that he shared the frustration of the fans when it comes to Hill as a live performer, with the singer frequently being hours late to shows.
“There’s magic when the three of us are onstage,” he admitted. “But there’s obviously reservation. We don’t even ask her if she’s gonna be on time anymore; we say, ‘How late is she going to be?’
“It gets to a point that you say, is it even really all worth it?”
FAQs
Q: What charges was Pras convicted of?
A: Pras was found guilty of criminal conspiracy charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
Q: What was the judge’s ruling on Pras’ motion for a new trial?
A: Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied Pras’ motion for a new trial, stating that the use of AI in his defense did not change the facts of the case.
Q: What controversy surrounded Pras’ defense strategy?
A: Pras’ defense team used generative AI to prepare a closing argument, which included lyrics from songs by other artists, leading to confusion and criticism.
Credit: hiphopdx.com
