Leonardo DiCaprio gives testimony in Michel's money-laundering case

Leonardo DiCaprio gives testimony in Fugees rapper Pras Michel's money-laundering case

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Leonardo DiCaprio testified in a federal court on April 4, 2023, in a trial related to money laundering and bribery involving a rap artist.

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The trial involves accusations against Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, a founding member of the hip-hop group The Fugees.

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Michel is accused of funneling money from a Malaysian financier named Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

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Prosecutors claim Michel attempted to halt an investigation into the same financier under former President Donald Trump’s administration in 2017.

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Low Taek Jho allegedly orchestrated a multibillion-dollar money laundering and bribery operation that siphoned funds from Malaysia's 1MDB state investment fund.

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DiCaprio's connection with the case comes from his relationship with Low, who was one of the primary financiers of DiCaprio's movie, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

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Michel became a conduit for Low’s pilfered millions and his attempts to influence the U.S. government, according to the prosecutors.

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DiCaprio met and befriended Low at a birthday party in Las Vegas in 2010 and knew Michel since the 1990s.

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Low was known for hosting lavish, star-studded parties and group vacations on his private jet.

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During the trial, DiCaprio recalled a “casual conversation” with Low in which Low told him he intended to make a significant contribution to Obama’s reelection campaign.

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