The FBI interviewed Leonardo DiCaprio about his relationship with a fugitive financier
This story also features Kim Kardashian flying around with a trash bag filled with $250,000 in her carry-on, because the world is both strange and stupid
Aux News Leonardo DiCaprio
You may remember, a few years back, when Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street hit a real “life imitates art” moment, when the film’s financing, and producer Red Granite Studios, were swept up in an international finance scandal involving Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Specifically, Red Granite founder Riza Aziz, stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, was accused of using some of the billions allegedly stolen by Razak from the fund to establish himself in Hollywood—including to pay for making Wolf Of Wall Street. (Red Granite eventually settled with the U.S. government to the tune of $60 million, and a statement of no “admission of wrongdoing or liability on the part of Red Granite.”)
Way back when, we reported that Wolf star Leonardo DiCaprio had gotten tangentially involved in the whole thing, as the FBI asked DiCaprio to return a few of the expensive gifts he’d received from some of the alleged conspirators, including Marlon Brando’s Oscar for On The Waterfront, and a first edition of The Great Gatsby. As it turns out, though, DiCaprio’s involvement in the investigation went a bit further than that: Per THR, working from a report by Bloomberg Businessweek, it’s been revealed that the FBI and the Department of Justice actually interviewed the actor pretty extensively back in 2018, inquiring into the nature of his business relationships with alleged 1MDB mastermind Jho Low.
Which did, in fact, go beyond just Wolf; after meeting in a nightclub in 2010, the actor and the money guy apparently went so far as to develop the idea of an Asian theme park based off of the actor’s movies together, which is the sort of thing we’re going to be thinking about all day. It all fell apart eventually, though, apparently after Low failed to provide a promised Roy Lichtenstein piece to DiCaprio’s environmental foundation for a fundraiser. But not before, as the THR piece notes, “They each met the other’s mother.”
DiCaprio, who apparently told a grand jury that his social connections with Low were a natural outgrowth of their doing business together, reportedly left the vetting of his new associate to his team, including manager Rick Yorn. A background check on Low was provided to the actor, but “but DiCaprio didn’t thoroughly read it.” Whoops!
Admittedly, Low—who’s been on the run from international authorities for years now, and is believed to be laying low in China—had a habit of schmoozing with celebrities, including making similarly opulent gifts to Kim Kardashian. (There’s a bit in some of the other reports, which are all pulling from the same set of documents released recently in regards to the investigations, about Kardashian flying home with a literal trash bag of money containing some $250,000 after a gambling excursion organized by Low in Las Vegas. Sometimes you don’t need to come up with your own metaphors, because the universe will provide.) Also, we should be clear that neither DiCaprio, nor Kardashian, appear to have been investigated for any kind of wrong-doing, beyond, possibly, not doing quite enough to closely scrutinize their business and social affairs with the trash-bag money man.
Apparently conscious of the optics, though, DiCaprio’s attorneys did draft a press release, asking the FBI to thank DiCaprio for his cooperation with the investigation. “The government declined the overture.” And, again we’ll say it: Whoops!
50 Comments
That is NOT the way I expected that headline to end
When I read that the FBI had interviewed him, I was sure this story was going to involve the words ‘state lines’ and ‘she said she was eighteen’.
And you are not the Lone Ranger
Or something dealing with illegal poker games.
Or maybe the Pussy Posse finally got Me-Too’d? Trust me, it’s a mystery to many of us who lived in LA during the late 90’s-early 00’s how they have evaded it for so long.
I was just glad to see an article that wasn’t whining about him dating younger women. Yet Cher is dating someone 4 decades younger and the response is just “slay queen slay!”.Why people are misogynists and think women have no agency is beyond me.
Aw, you provide all the misogyny we’ll ever need, pal.
Pointing out the hypocrisy on how men dating younger women is viewed vs women dating younger men equates to misogyny?
I found the sealion!
I’m not a member of the LGBT community so I’m not up to date on their lingo, so what does “sealion” mean?
Nothing to do with the LGBT community. It’s someone who masquerades as asking “reasonable questions” but they’re not arguing in good faith, are not open to changing their mind, and are actually just trolling. You’re a troll. There’s no point in engaging with you. Please fuck off to Breitbart or Parler or wherever.
I’m completely serious about this and I am open to having my mind changed. Maybe I should be more specific: the hypocrisy floats around kinja, that is what I mean. This is from Jezebel. Yeah, they are hypocrites.And beyond that, it does seem society thinks young girls are less mature than young men. You’re free to disagree or offer a counter argument.A little heads up though: if what you’re saying about me is true then the proper thing to do is not respond at all. Even if you think you have something clever to say, even if you think in your mind you are mocking me, even if it’s just to say “fuck you”, any response to a troll is giving them what they want. You have now responded 3 times to me. Just some food for thought.
if what you’re saying about me is true then the proper thing to do is not respond at all.Note taken.
But…you literally just responded again lol. Do better.
People are misogynists because there is actually evil in the world and one of its flavors is misogyny. I suppose one of the other flavors is lazy, unoriginal bloggers writing to a deadline. But although these two evils differ in severity both are a choice.
I understand, I’m just curious about the logic being used. So young children have enough agency to choose to swap genders, but a 23 yr old woman is being manipulated if she fucks a hot rich guy in his late 40s? Progressives have weird standards.
Bloggers, like many others online, are now trolls and writing parodies of the “woke left” increases engagement, with 90+% of commenters writing that it is no big deal that Mr. DiCaprio prefers young, conventionally attractive models who are years older than the age of consent. And you’ve probably noticed that DiCaprio’s career continues to thrive. Young children are NOT swapping genders ffs. The occasional teenager of wealthy parents (who are the consenting adults in these situations) receives “gender affirming surgery” but this has been going on for decades under different names such as “boob/nose job” or “steroids” or “human growth hormone treatment.” For some reason society barely blinked when flat-chested “ethnic” girls identified as northern-European women with large breasts and tiny, upturned noses.
Dude definitely has a type: a gal with at least two senior superlatives under her belt before graduation.
And we shall never know the thrill of getting soaked on the This Boy’s Life flume ride while savoring a What’s Eating Gilbert Grape popsicle
I was looking forward to the ‘Rose’s Door’ wave pool 🙁
Growing Pains, The Roller Coaster
I thought it was Silver Spoons, the Jai Courtney to Growing Pains’ Sam Worthington.
The Don’s Plum Café remains closed indefinitely. I don’t even know why Leo let them build it.
He was under the impression that it would be an exclusive brunch spot then he found out it was actually going to be a Golden Corral.
They moved the Spruce Goose to Oregon years ago- I’m sure they’d ship it again for The Aviator 4-D roller coaster for the right price.
Truthfully, even if they had investigated the guy, they probably wouldn’t have found anything more than “rich hedge fund manager”. It’s not like anyone bats an eye when Masayoshi Son blows a bunch of Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund money on stupid shit.
The whole idea of a theme park based on an actor is just so stupid. That’s not how things works.
Unless that actor is Christopher Walken.
You can go from the lion taming exhibition to the ‘How long can you hide a watch up your ass?’ challenge!
And a Dance Dance Revolution-esque game machine where you try to match his Weapon of choice dance.And for the adults a beer garden called “Christopher Talkin” where they sell food and drinks while loud speakers play a recording of him reciting the lyrics to various Lady Gaga songs on a loop.
I mean, the Pussy Posse Flume Floatdown coulda been tight, what with the David Blaine narration.
Out front can be “Don’s Plum Dessert” cart
China is currently building a replica Titanic in a landlocked county. No idea is off limits for them.
I was going to say that the boat is public domain then I realized how many movies Leo has done that probably could skirt the lineThe Aviator, Titanic, Catch Me if You can, The Revenant(kinda) So may a Leo park could work
Come one, come all – be sodamized by the giant bear from the Revenant just like Leo!
I don’t think that one was ever finished but it can be found on Google Maps or something…
Ah, I was under the impression it was finished.
The lates satellite picture (2023) proves otherwise. Guess they ran out of money…
Looks like it. Either way, they made the attempt lol.
Even if I’m ethnic Chinese, I’m not a big fan of China and its dubious achievements, but this was a good idea. Too bad it appears to have failed.
Everyone knows the real money is in theme parks based on directors.
I’d argue that Dollywood is completely different. Nothing there is based on any of her film roles or movies. Or even her music. It’s really just a wholesome country Disney Land. There is a Dolly museum there and her tour bus but there isn’t a “9 to 5” Log Flume or anything
The whole story is so much wilder than this article hints at. There’s a really good book about it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion_Dollar_Whale
“The whole story is so much wilder than this article hints at.”- The Typical Writing @ The AV Club
Jho Low Trublio
after meeting in a nightclub in 2010, the actor and the money guy apparently went so far as to develop the idea of an Asian theme park based off of the actor’s movies together, which is the sort of thing we’re going to be thinking about all day. It all fell apart eventually, though,Were they *really* considering it? Or was Low just coming up with bullshit to feed an actor’s ego?
A theme park based on his movies?! Jesus Christ. That sounds like the most idiotic, cocaine-fueled, VIP bar-babble ever. I’m surprised this level of detail actually made the news and I don’t expect to hear much more about it. Never underestimate the power of a Human Brand’s multi-million dollar PR firms and crisis managers that they keep on retainer to earn their money. I expect a nice, shiny distraction to hit the gossip wires ASAP.
There’s no way they ever had any sort of relationship: Jho Low is older than 25.