Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2018 over his ties with Jho Low, a Malaysian financier turned fugitive who is wanted by international authorities for his involvement in a money-laundering scheme worth over $4.5bn.
According to a report by Bloomberg, DiCaprio met Low at a nightclub in 2010 and the two established a close relationship over the years.
The FBI interviewed DiCaprio as part of their investigation into Low’s connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, one of the world’s largest corruption cases.
During the interviews, DiCaprio admitted that he and Low had discussed ideas for a $1bn mega-fund for film-making, a Warner Bros theme park in Asia based on DiCaprio’s movies, and the development of an eco-friendly resort in Belize.
The report also stated that DiCaprio had introduced Low as “my man” while Low called DiCaprio “L-Dogg”.
The two have also met each other’s mothers. Low is reported to have financed the 2013 Oscar-nominated movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”, which starred DiCaprio, and showered the actor with luxury gifts including Marlon Brando’s $600,000 Oscar statue and a $9m Jean-Michel Basquiat painting.
However, following investigations into Low’s alleged involvement in the 1MDB scandal, DiCaprio returned the gifts to authorities, according to a 2018 New York Times report.
In his interviews with the FBI, DiCaprio claimed that he had been told that Low’s wealth came from an unknown “whale of whales” in Abu Dhabi, and that Low was the “Mozart of the business world”.
The Bloomberg report also revealed details from the FBI’s interviews with reality TV star Kim Kardashian over her interactions with Low.
Kardashian recounted to investigators that she once stayed up till 5am in a Las Vegas casino with Low, where he refused her attempts to return $350,000 worth of winnings.
The documents stated that when Kardashian went to the casino counter to cash out the chips, she was given a trash bag full of $100 bills estimated to be worth $250,000.
Low is currently believed to be hiding in China, and in 2021, the US Department of Justice charged him with “back-channel lobbying” to influence the government to drop its investigation into him and others involved in the 1MDB scandal.
The revelations about DiCaprio’s relationship with Low come after years of scrutiny over the actor’s alleged ties to the 1MDB scandal.
In 2016, the US government filed a lawsuit alleging that Low, his associates, and others had used the 1MDB fund to buy luxury properties, yachts, artwork, and jewellery.
The lawsuit also claimed that funds were used to finance “The Wolf of Wall Street” and to make donations to the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which supports environmental causes.
DiCaprio denied any wrongdoing and cooperated with authorities, stating in a statement in 2016 that he was “beyond grateful and honoured” to have worked on “The Wolf of Wall Street” and that he “had no knowledge or involvement” in the funding of the film.
The actor also said that he would return any gifts or donations made to his foundation that were found to be linked to the 1MDB scandal.
The US government has since seized over $1bn worth of assets allegedly linked to the 1MDB scandal, including luxury real estate, a private jet, and artwork.
Low has continued to deny any wrongdoing and maintains his innocence.
