Leonardo DiCaprio Testifies at the Criminal Conspiracy Trial of Pras Michel

The actor testified Monday at a trial for Pras Michel, a Fugees member facing a criminal conspiracy charge for funneling Malaysian money to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign. Prosecutors say Michel conspired with fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low to funnel money from 1MDB, the state investment fund of Malaysia, to the Obama campaign.
DiCaprio sat in the witness box, smiling, and answered questions calmly, deferring to fuzzy memories when answering specific details. The Oscar-winning actor said he met Michel in 2010, when he was attending a birthday party for Low in Las Vegas.
He said Low was a “huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia.” It’s believed that the 48-year-old actor purchased a Picasso painting from an associate of Low that prosecutors allege was bought with stolen money.
In addition to his acting career, DiCaprio has been active in the environmental movement and has teamed up with organizations such as Earth Day and the Natural Resources Defense Council. He is also a United Nations representative on climate change.
The jury has heard testimony from several witnesses in the case. Actors Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Mark Wahlberg have been mentioned as possible witnesses.
Michel’s co-defendant, Jho Low (also known as “Jho Jo”), a Malaysian financier accused of embezzling billions from 1MDB, is at the heart of this international scandal. He is charged with conspiracy to commit illegal campaign contributions, failure to register as a foreign agent and engaging in witness tampering.