Two years ago Fugees rapper Pras Michel was indicted on money laundering charges for his involvement with fugitive Malaysian billionaire Jho Low [click here if you missed that].
This week actor Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand against Pras at trial...
From The Daily Mail
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio gave bombshell testimony in court for the prosecution in federal court on Monday morning as part of hip-hop star Pras Michel's money laundering trial with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
DiCaprio's involvement in the case stems from the money behind his film 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' which was in part funded by the man who allegedly masterminded the 1MDB plot.
Prakazrel 'Pras' Michel is a founding member of 90s group The Fugees.
He is accused of funneling money from fugitive Malaysian financer Jho Low through donors to former President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign.
Prosecutors allege that Michel attempted to illegally lobby both the Obama and Trump administrations by using funds given to him by Low that were stolen millions from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
DiCaprio, the prosecution's star witness, told the court that Michel attended lavish parties thrown by Low - including a New Year's Eve celebration in Australia and then Las Vegas.
The Oscar winner answered questions calmly on the stand and said that in addition to his relationship with Low, he had known Michel since sometime in the 90s, when they had met backstage after a Fugees concert.
While he was still riding high, Low was known to throw lavish parties around the world, often featuring celebrity guests. He flew groups on his private jet to events like the World Cup.
Michel, testified DiCaprio, was present on some of those trips, one of which included jetting to Australia for New Year's Eve and then jetting to Las Vegas to ring in the New Year a second time.
Low built a relationship with DiCaprio via charitable donations to his foundation and eventually offered to provide the primary financing for 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'
The movie star testified that Low's funding was vetted and he was 'given the green light by my team as well as my studio.'
'He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie,' he said.
DiCaprio also recalled a conversation during which Low said he intended to make a large contribution to Obama's reelection effort.
'It was a significant sum - something to the tune of $20-$30 million,' he said. 'I said, wow that's a lot of money!'
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