Fugees' Pras Says Dept. of Justice Implicating Him in Money Scheme 'Cause He's Black

Pras says he doesn't know why the Dept. of Justice is putting him at the center of a scheme to help a Malaysian financier funnel millions into the country -- but he's got a hunch it's due to his skin color.

We got the Fugees rapper at LAX where we asked him about this crazy new civil lawsuit filed by the U.S. DOJ. He's accused of conspiring with Jho Low in 2017 to sneak tons of cash into U.S. bank accounts. Allegedly, Low's intention was to bribe DOJ officials to influence a criminal probe into his alleged misuse of international dough.

The feds filed suit to recover some of those funds -- but Pras is not listed as a defendant. He's mentioned because of his business dealings with Low. The DOJ's still investigating and says criminal charges against Low and/or Pras could be coming.

Complicated, right? That's how Pras reacted to the allegations, but he did have one possible explanation for the suit ... they're pointing at him because he's black. At least that's the "vibe" he's getting.

Low has been tied to other celebs he lavished with gifts, which are now being seized by the feds. Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly received Marlon Brando’s 1954 Oscar from Low, as well as a Pablo Picasso painting, and supermodel Miranda Kerr was gifted jewelry and a see-through grand piano.