In the federal prosecution of a well-known rap artist from the 1990s accused of receiving funds from a Malaysian financier who allegedly wanted to donate tens of millions of dollars to President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, Leonardo DiCaprio testified on Monday.
The Hollywood star claims that the fugitive financier Jho Low casually said in passing once that he planned to contribute significantly to Obama’s campaign while they were out having fun. DiCaprio stated in court, “It was a sizeable sum, something to the tune of $20-30 million.” Wow, that’s a lot of money, I said.
As foreigners are prohibited from contributing to US campaigns by federal election law, Low allegedly enlisted Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the legendary 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, to transfer the funds to Obama’s reelection campaign. Prosecutors claimed that Michel accepted tens of millions of dollars to lobby on behalf of Low and the Chinese government as a whole.
Many of the funds allegedly were taken. Low is charged with stealing a staggering $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1MDB state investment fund.
Due to his long-standing friendship with Low, whom he considered to be “a huge businessman” with contacts in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia, DiCaprio, 48, was asked to testify in the case. His 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” for which the star received a Golden Globe nomination for best actor, was funded in part by Low.
Hollywood A-listers knew Low for hosting extravagant parties and sending guests on pricey holidays via his private plane. Low also gave to the “Titanic” star’s charity.
DiCaprio recalled being a part of a party that used Low’s jet once to spend New Year’s Eve in Australia before continuing the celebrations in Las Vegas the next day. He claimed that Michel, whom he had first met in the 1990s backstage at a Fugees show, had joined some of the journeys. According to reports, the Fugees member received $70 million in exchange for helping Low.
Michel is charged with obtaining $21.6 million from offshore accounts connected to Low, which the rapper allegedly distributed to about 20 straw donors between June and November 2012. According to court records, those 20 or so donors were asked to give money to the Obama campaign under their names so Low couldn’t be identified.
Following DiCaprio’s testimony, further witnesses said that Michel had sent them thousands of dollars by wire and requested them to contribute covertly to the campaign.
He is charged with 11 criminal offenses for attempting to sway the Obama and Trump administrations. The musician has also been charged with attempting to obstruct the prosecution’s probe into Low.
