Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand in a federal trial on Monday that seeks to hammer down the details of what appears to be a money-funneling scheme that features a Malaysian financier funneling tens of millions of dollars through a prominent 90s rap artist for the purpose of donating to former President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
DiCaprio plays into the saga because he was said to have partied with Jho Low, a Malaysian financier who apparently suggested to DiCaprio once during a conversation that he intended to contribute to Obama’s presidential campaign, according to the New York Post.
DiCaprio said: “It was a casual conversation about what party he was in support of, I told him what party I was in support of. And he told me that he, or he and a group, were going to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party. … I said ‘wow, that’s a lot of money.’”
Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, founder of The Fugees, has been recruited by Low in an effort to funnel money to Obama’s re-election bid, because foreigners are not allowed to contribute to US campaigns. The report indicated that Michel had taken “tens of millions of dollars” to lobby the government on behalf of the Chinese government.