(CNN) — Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio was the first star witness to take the stand Monday in the trial of rapper Pras Michel, a former member of the Fugees. Multiple celebrities are expected to testify in the process.
Michel is accused of taking part in a global campaign finance scheme led by Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman who allegedly stole billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund called 1MDB. Michel has pleaded not guilty.
DiCaprio, who reportedly testified before the grand jury that returned the indictment against Michel, is not accused of any wrongdoing.
While both Michel and Low face charges in the US, Low remains a fugitive, so Michel is the only one on trial.
DiCaprio testified for about an hour about his relationship with Low, in an effort by prosecutors to show that Low used stolen money to curry favor with actors, models and politicians in the United States. Prosecutors are likely portraying DiCaprio as a charismatic figure both to explain the scope of the alleged plot and to showcase a star who would dwarf even Michel.
When government prosecutors called DiCaprio as a witness, several jurors who seemed bored during earlier testimony were surprised. One juror’s head snapped up, while another looked around excitedly. A third juror applauded silently and leaned back in his seat.
DiCaprio walked into court wearing a blue suit surrounded by members of the United States Marshals Service. He spoke slowly during his testimony and was so quiet at times that U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is presiding over the case, had to ask him to speak.
“At the risk of asking a stupid question, what do you do for a living?” prosecutor Nicole Lockhart told DiCaprio, asking him to introduce himself.
“I’m an actor,” DiCaprio replied.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio testified about his relationship with Low
According to prosecutors, Low and DiCaprio were introduced by the stepson of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is charged in his country in connection with the 1MDB corruption scandal.
DiCaprio told jurors Monday that he attended Low’s birthday party in Las Vegas around 2010, when they were first introduced. DiCaprio said he understood Low to be “sort of a business prodigy and ultra-successful.”
DiCaprio also said that he met Michel in the 1990s and had attended a Fugees concert. He also noted that Michel may have attended a Thanksgiving dinner at his house, but that “memory may fail.”
When DiCaprio was asked to identify Michel in the courtroom, Michel leaned back and waved at the actor.
Low and DiCaprio’s relationship was purely social at first, the actor testified, recounting “a number of lavish parties” around the world, several of which Michel reportedly also attended. At one point, DiCaprio said Low took several celebrities to Australia for New Year’s Eve and then flew them back to Las Vegas in time to ring in the new year again.
“Did he arrive in time to celebrate” again in Las Vegas? Michel’s defense attorney, David Kenner, asked.
“It depends on how you look at it,” DiCaprio responded. The courtroom erupted in laughter.
DiCaprio told jurors that he spoke to Low in 2012 about the ongoing presidential election.
“It was a casual conversation about which party I supported, and I told him which party I supported,” DiCaprio recounted. “And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party,” he continued, noting that the donation was around $20 million or $30 million.
“I was like ‘wow, that’s a lot of money,'” DiCaprio added.
Prosecutors argue that this money was stolen from 1MDB and that Michel helped Low make donations through a series of front men.
Low ultimately offered to finance a film for DiCaprio, the actor testified. DiCaprio’s lawyers, a production company and a third party conducted background checks on Low and his finances, the Oscar winner said, after which he was given the green light to move forward with the Low deal.
Prosecutors allege Low laundered money from 1MDB through a Los Angeles-based film production company called Red Granite Pictures. Red Granite allegedly used some of the laundered money to finance movies, including DiCaprio’s 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” DiCaprio thanked Low by accepting a Golden Globe for his role in the film.
Low also gave money to DiCaprio’s environmental foundation, he testified, buying a painting at a fundraiser and making donations through other business entities.
DiCaprio testified that he stopped speaking to Low around 2015, when his representatives discovered an article alleging that Low was using “illegal funding from Malaysia and elsewhere.”
In 2016, prosecutors made progress in seizing assets from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as well as a Picasso painting that an associate of Low’s allegedly bought with stolen funds and gifted to DiCaprio.
A DiCaprio spokesperson previously told CNN that the actor is working with US prosecutors to return any funds he or his charities have received from 1MDB.
(CNN) — Oscar-winning Leonardo DiCaprio was the first star witness to take the stand Monday in the trial of rapper Pras Michel, a former member of the Fugees. Multiple celebrities are expected to testify in the process.
Michel is accused of taking part in a global campaign finance scheme led by Jho Low, a Malaysian businessman who allegedly stole billions of dollars from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund called 1MDB. Michel has pleaded not guilty.
DiCaprio, who reportedly testified before the grand jury that returned the indictment against Michel, is not accused of any wrongdoing.
While both Michel and Low face charges in the US, Low remains a fugitive, so Michel is the only one on trial.
DiCaprio testified for about an hour about his relationship with Low, in an effort by prosecutors to show that Low used stolen money to curry favor with actors, models and politicians in the United States. Prosecutors are likely portraying DiCaprio as a charismatic figure both to explain the scope of the alleged plot and to showcase a star who would dwarf even Michel.
When government prosecutors called DiCaprio as a witness, several jurors who seemed bored during earlier testimony were surprised. One juror’s head snapped up, while another looked around excitedly. A third juror applauded silently and leaned back in his seat.
DiCaprio walked into court wearing a blue suit surrounded by members of the United States Marshals Service. He spoke slowly during his testimony and was so quiet at times that U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is presiding over the case, had to ask him to speak.
“At the risk of asking a stupid question, what do you do for a living?” prosecutor Nicole Lockhart told DiCaprio, asking him to introduce himself.
“I’m an actor,” DiCaprio replied.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio testified about his relationship with Low
According to prosecutors, Low and DiCaprio were introduced by the stepson of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is charged in his country in connection with the 1MDB corruption scandal.
DiCaprio told jurors Monday that he attended Low’s birthday party in Las Vegas around 2010, when they were first introduced. DiCaprio said he understood Low to be “sort of a business prodigy and ultra-successful.”
DiCaprio also said that he met Michel in the 1990s and had attended a Fugees concert. He also noted that Michel may have attended a Thanksgiving dinner at his house, but that “memory may fail.”
When DiCaprio was asked to identify Michel in the courtroom, Michel leaned back and waved at the actor.
Low and DiCaprio’s relationship was purely social at first, the actor testified, recounting “a number of lavish parties” around the world, several of which Michel reportedly also attended. At one point, DiCaprio said Low took several celebrities to Australia for New Year’s Eve and then flew them back to Las Vegas in time to ring in the new year again.
“Did he arrive in time to celebrate” again in Las Vegas? Michel’s defense attorney, David Kenner, asked.
“It depends on how you look at it,” DiCaprio responded. The courtroom erupted in laughter.
DiCaprio told jurors that he spoke to Low in 2012 about the ongoing presidential election.
“It was a casual conversation about which party I supported, and I told him which party I supported,” DiCaprio recounted. “And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party,” he continued, noting that the donation was around $20 million or $30 million.
“I was like ‘wow, that’s a lot of money,'” DiCaprio added.
Prosecutors argue that this money was stolen from 1MDB and that Michel helped Low make donations through a series of front men.
Low ultimately offered to finance a film for DiCaprio, the actor testified. DiCaprio’s lawyers, a production company and a third party conducted background checks on Low and his finances, the Oscar winner said, after which he was given the green light to move forward with the Low deal.
Prosecutors allege Low laundered money from 1MDB through a Los Angeles-based film production company called Red Granite Pictures. Red Granite allegedly used some of the laundered money to finance movies, including DiCaprio’s 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” DiCaprio thanked Low by accepting a Golden Globe for his role in the film.
Low also gave money to DiCaprio’s environmental foundation, he testified, buying a painting at a fundraiser and making donations through other business entities.
DiCaprio testified that he stopped speaking to Low around 2015, when his representatives discovered an article alleging that Low was using “illegal funding from Malaysia and elsewhere.”
In 2016, prosecutors made progress in seizing assets from “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as well as a Picasso painting that an associate of Low’s allegedly bought with stolen funds and gifted to DiCaprio.
A DiCaprio spokesperson previously told CNN that the actor is working with US prosecutors to return any funds he or his charities have received from 1MDB.
