Title: Fugees Rapper Pras Michel Files Motion for New Trial, Alleges AI-Generated Closing Argument
Subtitle: Former Lawyer Accused of Using Artificial Intelligence Technology in High-Profile Conspiracy Case
Washington, DC – Pras Michel, a member of the iconic hip-hop group the Fugees, is seeking a new trial after claiming that his former lawyer utilized artificial intelligence (AI) to generate his closing argument. Michel was previously found guilty of assisting a foreign national in laundering millions of dollars through illegitimate campaign contributions to former President Barack Obama’s campaign.
Michel, who was convicted in April, was accused of participating in an extensive conspiracy involving approximately $88 million in foreign funds. These funds were allegedly used for illegal back-channel lobbying and unlawful campaign contributions at the behest of the People’s Republic of China. In a motion filed on Monday, Michel’s defense team requested a new trial on all counts.
The motion asserts that Michel’s former attorney, David Kenner, employed an experimental AI program to draft his closing argument. Michel’s new defense team from D.C.-based ArentFox Schiff contends that this AI-generated argument contained frivolous claims, conflated different schemes, and failed to highlight crucial weaknesses in the government’s case. “It is now apparent that Kenner and his co-counsel appear to have had an undisclosed financial stake in the AI program, and they experimented with it during Michel’s trial so they could issue a press release afterward promoting the program—a clear conflict of interest,” Michel’s defense team stated.
Former federal prosecutor Peter Zeidenberg, in a declaration accompanying the motion, revealed that Michel’s prior publicist informed the current defense team about Kenner’s announcement following the trial. Kenner reportedly boasted that “AI wrote our closing.” Zeidenberg further cited a press release from an organization called Eyelevel in May, which announced the historic use of generative AI in a federal trial.
The trial, which lasted three weeks, featured testimony from high-profile witnesses such as Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Despite the involvement of these prominent individuals, Michel was ultimately convicted on all ten felony charges after the jury deliberated for three days.
The press release from Eyelevel also quoted Kenner as describing the AI technology as “an absolute game changer for complex litigation.”
According to court documents, Michel allegedly conspired with wealthy Malaysian businessman Jho Low and others to engage in undisclosed lobbying campaigns on behalf of Low and the Vice Minister of Public Security for the People’s Republic of China. The U.S. Department of Justice claimed that Michel used his celebrity status and connections to influence U.S. government officials in favor of undisclosed foreign interests.
Michel was found guilty of orchestrating an unregistered, back-channel campaign to influence the Obama administration and the Department of Justice. The campaign aimed to halt an embezzlement investigation against Low and to repatriate a Chinese national. Additionally, Michel was charged with conspiring to make and conceal foreign and conduit campaign contributions during the 2012 U.S. presidential election.
As Pras Michel requests a new trial with this novel argument, the legal community awaits the court’s response, which could potentially impact future legal proceedings that involve the utilization of AI technology.
Contact:
Danielle Wallace
Fox News Digital Reporter
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Twitter: @danimwallace