Overview
- Michel filed a notice of appeal on December 4 seeking review of the judgment from his foreign-influence and money-laundering case tied to Jho Low and 1MDB.
- He was sentenced on November 24 to 168 months after an April 2023 jury conviction on 10 counts including conspiracy, money laundering, witness tampering, and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
- Prosecutors alleged he accepted more than $100 million from Jho Low to channel foreign money into the 2012 Obama campaign and to later press the Trump administration to ease the 1MDB probe, with Low remaining a fugitive.
- The court ordered forfeiture of about $65 million, and a defense bid for probation citing philanthropy and alleged manipulation by Low was rejected.
- The defense’s use of generative AI became a flashpoint in the case, a new-trial request tied to that issue was denied, and the D.C. Circuit review could take months or years.