The former Fugees rapper has been locked in a legal battle with his ex, Angela Severiano, for months after he was accused of owing her more than $125,000 in unpaid fees for their nine-year-old son.
- Mar 10, 2020
AceShowbiz - Former The Fugees rapper Pras Michel has been arrested in New York after failing to prove he had followed through with a court-ordered child support payment.
The "Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)" hitmaker has been locked in a legal battle with his ex, Angela Severiano, for months after she accused him of owing more than $125,000 (£95,300) in unpaid fees for their nine-year-old son, Landon.
Pras has claimed he can no longer afford his monthly payments of $4,800 (£3,700), but had a recent motion to reduce the figure rejected in January after skipping out on a key hearing at Manhattan Family Court.
He was subsequently ordered to hand over $20,000 (£15,300) to Severiano to help pay down his outstanding child support debt, and bring proof of payment to their next court appearance.
However, Severiano did not receive the money, and in court on Monday (March 09), Pras was only able to present a tracking number for a cheque he claimed a friend had mailed to his ex on his behalf, reports the New York Post's Page Six.
Judge Carol Goldstein refused to accept his claim, telling the musician: "That's not what I consider proof. You do not even know what day it was sent."
Addressing his lawyer, Samuel Feldman, she added, "I understand that your client believes that somebody posted the money. The tracking number doesn't work."
She demanded Pras be taken into custody on a $5,000 (£3,800) bond, pending another hearing next week.
After the proceedings, Severiano's lawyer, Robert Wallack, slammed Pras' behaviour, stating, "(His) excuses are nonsense and he deserves to sit in jail until he pays my client the more than $125,000 he owes her."
The rapper previously insisted he wouldn't be in such a financial mess if his bank accounts had not been seized by U.S. federal authorities in 2018, amid accusations of campaign-finance violations linked to former President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.
He has denied any wrongdoing in that case.
