Prominent celebrity lawyer pleads guilty to leaking documents to reporters in Fugees rapper's case

A prominent defense attorney has pleaded guilty to leaking grand jury information to reporters about a political conspiracy case against a rapper from the Fugees

WASHINGTON -- A prominent defense attorney whose star clients have included Snoop Dogg pleaded guilty Friday to leaking grand jury information to reporters about a political conspiracy case against a rapper from the Fugees.

David Kenner, a California-based attorney known for his representation of celebrities like Suge Knight and Tory Lanez, was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor contempt of court charge. He also agreed to pay a $5,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors say Kenner was representing Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the Fugees, when he gave grand jury information and photos to two reporters for Bloomberg News for “defense-oriented” stories that ran in March 2023, shortly before the start of the Washington, D.C. trial. Michel's trial included testimony from such figures as actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

As is typical in criminal cases, Kenner had gotten access to evidence in order to prepare Michel's defense, but had been ordered by the court not to share the information, prosecutors said.

Kenner’s attorney said in court documents that the reporters originally agreed to sign a protective order, but later changed their minds. A Bloomberg News spokesperson declined to comment.