Fugees Rapper Pras Michél’s Former Lawyer Pleads Guilty To Leaking Evidence
Fugees rapper Pras Michél’s former lawyer has admitted to mishandling the musician’s recent criminal trial.
According to The Washington Post, David Kenner pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court for leaking confidential evidence, including grand jury materials, to reporters at Bloomberg News.
Kenner represented Michél in 2023 when the artist was accused of participating in a federal conspiracy and falsifying records. He was found guilty in April 2023 on 10 criminal counts of helping Malaysian businessman Jho Low obtain access to former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, illegally funding part of their respective campaigns.
“I am deeply sorry to be standing in front of you, and I fully accept responsibility,” detailed Kenner in a teleconference hearing. “I had a wonderful 56-year career, and while I tried to be a zealous advocate in my cases, including for Mr. Michél, this is a low point.”
He added, “I was reckless in not taking steps to ensure the reporters’ access to the database was terminated.”
Per WP, Kenner admitted responsibility for a leaked photo that was published in one of two Bloomberg News articles that ran on March 3, 2023, previewing his defense at trial later that month. Additionally, he confessed to disclosing to two reporters evidence turned over by the prosecution, including grand jury witness testimony, investigative reports, and communications, although the materials were covered by a protective order.
Although Kenner faced up to six months behind bars for his unprofessional actions, U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta decided the appropriate punishment to be one year of unsupervised probation and a $5,000 fine.
In October 2023, Michél retained ArentFox Schiff LLP as new counsel, including Peter Zeidenberg, civil rights attorney and former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, and Scott Peeler. His new legal representation accused Kenner of using “outsourced preparations — including drafting briefs, critical cross-examinations, and the opening statement — to inexperienced contract attorneys who work for an e-discovery vendor,” among other claims.
With accusations against Kenner, including that he “used an experimental artificial intelligence (AI) program to draft the closing argument,” Michél requested a new trial, per Politico.
“While Mr. Kenner argues that he was merely trying to mount the best possible defense for Pras Michél, his client, Mr. Kenner’s reckless actions crossed critical ethical lines, failed his duties as counsel, and ultimately have cost him dearly,” explained Michél spokesman Erica Dumas in an emailed statement to The Post.
“This plea conviction represents a breach of client trust that strikes at the heart of the attorney-client relationship.”
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