Current:Home > InvestJudge rejects claims that generative AI tanked political conspiracy case against Fugees rapper Pras -AssetPath
Judge rejects claims that generative AI tanked political conspiracy case against Fugees rapper Pras
View
Date:2025-04-17 02:54:03
WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge rejected a push for a new trial in a multimillion-dollar political conspiracy case against rapper Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the Fugees on Friday.
U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly found his defense attorney’s use of a generative AI program during closing arguments and other errors during the Washington D.C. trial didn’t amount to a serious miscarriage of justice.
Michel was found guilty of 10 counts after a jury heard testimony from witnesses ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the top charges. He is free ahead of sentencing, which has not yet been set.
The Grammy-winning rapper was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.
The defense argued Michel got simply bad advice as he tried to support himself while reinventing himself in the world of politics.
His defense attorney David Kenner, well known for his previous representation of rappers like Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg, later pleaded guilty to leaking grand jury information to reporters.
Michel got a new attorney who argued Kenner had made a series of mistakes, including using an “experimental” generative AI program that bungled closing arguments by misattributing a lyric from his client’s influential 1990s group.
Michel failed to show, though, that Kenner’s handling of the case prejudiced the jury, Judge Kollar-Kotelly said.
She acknowledged some of the errors Michel cited had some validity, but found that they didn’t neutralize the prosecutors’ voluminous evidence against him or make the nearly month-long trial unfair.
A representative for Michel did not have immediate comment on the ruling.
veryGood! (81698)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- U2's Sphere concert film is staggeringly lifelike. We talk to the Edge about its creation
- Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the US rises to the highest level in 8 weeks
- Liam Payne's death devastates Gen Z – even those who weren't One Direction fans
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Abortion rights group sues after Florida orders TV stations to stop airing ad
- Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the US rises to the highest level in 8 weeks
- Chiefs owner 'not concerned' with Harrison Butker PAC for 'Christian voters'
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis shares stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis
Ranking
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- Drug kingpin Demetrius ‘Big Meech’ Flenory leaves federal prison for a residential program in Miami
- One Direction's Liam Payne May Have Been Unconscious When He Fatally Fell From Balcony
- 15-year-old Kansas football player’s death is blamed on heat
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Georgia measure would cap increases in homes’ taxable value to curb higher property taxes
- One Direction members share joint statement on Liam Payne death: 'Completely devastated'
- Harry Styles mourns One Direction bandmate Liam Payne: 'My lovely friend'
Recommendation
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
New Jersey internet gambling revenue set new record in Sept. at $208 million
U2's Sphere concert film is staggeringly lifelike. We talk to the Edge about its creation
Nordstrom Rack's Top 100 Fall Deals: Your Guide to Can't-Miss Discounts, Including $11.98 Sweaters
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
BOC (Beautiful Ocean Coin): Leading a New Era of Ocean Conservation and Building a Sustainable Future
A parent's guide to 'Smile 2': Is the R-rated movie suitable for tweens, teens?
TikTok let through disinformation in political ads despite its own ban, Global Witness finds