The 'Titanic' star appears in federal court to talk about his connection to Jho Low, one of the primary financiers of 'The Wolf of Wall Street', amid his and Michel's embezzlement case.
- Apr 4, 2023
AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand in the trial of rapper Pras Michel, who is accused of accepting money from a fugitive tycoon to influence U.S. politicians. The 48-year-old Hollywood star appeared in federal court on Monday, April 3 to talk about his connection to Jho Low, one of the primary financiers of his film "The Wolf of Wall Street".
Also known as Low Taek Jho, Low has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from a Malaysian state investment fund. Meanwhile, Michel, who is a founder of the 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, is accused of funneling money for Low into Barack Obama's 2012 election campaign.
Prosecutors claim that Low used his vast resources to curry favor with celebrities, including DiCaprio and model Miranda Kerr. In his testimony, DiCaprio explained that he and Low became friends after meeting at a birthday party in 2010.
"I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia," the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor said. As for Michel, the "Don't Look Up" star claimed that he met Michel in the 1990s while backstage at a Fugees concert.
Of Low becoming the primary financing for "The Wolf of Wall Street", DiCaprio said that he had Low's funding and legitimacy carefully vetted before entering into a business relationship. "I was given the green light by my team as well as my studio," the actor explained. "He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie."
DiCaprio also mentioned having a "casual conversation" with Low regarding his plan to donate millions of dollars to Obama's reelection campaign. "It was a significant sum - something to the tune of $20-30 million. I said, 'Wow that's a lot of money!' " he testified.
Both Low and Michel face charges in the case, but only the musician appeared in court. Low is currently at large and believed to be in China.
