A Jho Low comes around once in a lifetime.

That was the sentiment of one nightclub owner back in 2009, who explained how it had been an “open war as each club operator tries to get Low into his place and keep him out of his competitors,” explains Page Six.

You see, Mr Low is a “businessman” and childhood friend of Riza Aziz, the stepson of the current prime minister of Malaysia.

As The Daily Beast explains:

As early as 2009, Low made a name for himself as a hard-partying man of mystery, keeping Champagne flowing and gossip rags wondering.

That same year, Low celebrated his 28th birthday and was flown out to Las Vegas along with his entourage in a jumbo jet by Caesars Palace:

The party continued at a nightclub where Low is said to have bought 120 bottles of Cristal. Among the celebs who partied with him were Paris Hilton, Usher and Jamie Foxx, who gifted the birthday boy with a red sports car.

That wasn’t the only time he partied with Paris.

But where did Low’s money come from?

Well now, that’s a whole other scandal and it involves The Wolf of Wall Street and co. – from the Daily Beast:

The Wolf of Wall Street, itself a risky investment, almost wasn’t made. That’s right: Every banker bro’s favorite [sic] cinematic ode to Quaaludes and deregulation only made it to theaters by the grace of a mysterious production company named Red Granite Pictures. Founded by Aziz, Red Granite Pictures gave more than $100 million to see [Leonardo] DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film to completion.

At the time, DiCaprio was praised for his performance; little did he know that he was pulling off a simultaneous role as “Hollywood Actor 1,” an A-lister who found himself embroiled in a large-scale Malaysian money-laundering scandal. To hear the Department of Justice tell it, what was going on behind the scenes of The Wolf of Wall Street was every bit as debaucherous—not to mention criminal—as anything in the script.

To boil down a long and growing list of allegations, Red Granite Pictures was potentially investing money that had been pilfered from 1MDB, a fund that was set up by the prime minister of Malaysia in order to jumpstart economic development. According to the complaints, more than $3.5 billion was misappropriated from the 1MDB fund from 2009 through 2015.

Instead of, say, improving the well-being of the Malaysian people, 1MDB money was allegedly used to fund films like The Wolf of Wall Street and to purchase incredibly valuable artwork and real estate, not to mention a whole lot of Cristal.

According to the DOJ, the funds were allegedly laundered through a series of shell companies and bank accounts located in Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and the United States. The money was then ultimately processed through U.S. financial institutions—hence former Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s announcement last July that the U.S. would be attempting to revoke more than $1 billion in misappropriated assets.

Low now stands accused of using stolen 1MDB funds to bankroll his lavish lifestyle and, according to a recently filed complaint, DiCaprio indirectly benefited as well.

Low had made a friend in DiCap and would often give him extravagant presents:

As an honorary member of the Pussy Posse, Low joined DiCaprio for bromantic trips, like an $11 million Las Vegas rampage.

[L]ike any true friendship, Low and DiCaprio’s bond was cemented through frequent, one-sided presents. Low and Red Granite Pictures even gifted DiCaprio with Marlon Brando’s On the Waterfront Oscar, a $600,000 token of affection.

DiCaprio also accepted a host of crazy-expensive artworks from his hard-partying pal. Among the pieces that were marked for seizure are a $3.28 million Picasso, a $750,000 Diane Arbus photograph, and a $9.2 million Basquiat. While the latter two were personal gifts from Low, the Picasso was allegedly sourced to Low’s associate Eric Tan, who paired it with this handwritten note: “Dear Leonardo DiCaprio, Happy belated Birthday! This gift is for you.”

The legal drama started last July, when the US government began a civil action against certain parties involved in the making of The Wolf of Wall Street. Since then, DiCaprio has been “fully cooperative” say his lawyers, returning “any such gifts or donations with the aid and instruction of the government”.

Bye Bye, Basquiat.

But DiCaprio wasn’t the only one having to return such gifts.

Miranda Kerr, who was romantically linked to Low in the past, had to dig deep into her security vault and return $8.1 million worth of damn fine jewellery, including an 8,88-carat diamond pendant worth $3,8 million and a $1,29 million heart-shaped diamond inscribed with the model’s initials.

Other celebs who were given lavish “gifts” include Lindsay Lohan, who received 23 bottles of Cristal for her 23rd birthday, Paris Hilton, who was allegedly paid $1 million to party with Low in St Tropez, and Busta Rhymes and Ludacris, who were both flown to Malaysia to perform.

Then, there’s also The Wolf of Wall Street director Martin Scorsese, Kanye West, Megan Fox and Robert De Niro, who all pop up along Low’s seemingly endless money trail.

Eight years after Low hit the Hollywood scene and things have changed drastically for the Malaysian financier.

[source:thedailybeast&pagesix]