Leonardo DiCaprio's foundation allegedly benefited from his relationship with Jho Low
After watching a short film about the dangers of overfishing, a number of wealthy guests who purportedly support saving the environment were flown in via helicopter to attend the third annual fundraiser in Saint-Tropez for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation last month where they dined on whole sea bass.
Millions in donations to the Hollywood A-lister's eco-foundation have allegedly come from a Malaysian money laundering scandal, which saw more than $3billion siphoned from a sovereign wealth fund called 1MDB, the Department of Justice claims in a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court on July 20.
DiCaprio, who has spent time crusading around the world in private jets for the environment, is not the direct target in the complaint. But he is referenced in the 136-page document as 'Hollywood Actor 1', according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The complaint sheds a new light on how the LDF has benefited directly from DiCaprio's relationship and friendship with Malaysian playboy and businessman Jho Low - who is one of the key players at the center of the money laundering scandal.
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Pals: Leonardo DiCaprio's foundation allegedly has benefited directly from his relationship with Jho Low (right), who is accused in a $3billion Malayasian money laundering scandal
The complaint filed by the Department of Justice refers to DiCaprio only as 'Hollywood Actor 1'. It suggests that Low (with Paris Hilton in 2010) is a buddy of the Oscar winner and donated gifts to his foundation
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation's global fundraising chairman, Milutin Gatsby (left) oversees how the environment-focused charity receives gifts. It's alleged that the LDF received millions in donations directly from the billions of embezzled funds
Low, who is notorious for his flashy stunts such as sending 23 bottles of Cristal champagne to Lindsay Lohan for her 23rd birthday, is alleged to have used stolen money from 1MDB to spend at DiCaprio's lavish charity auctions.
Low, together with his associate Joey McFarland, a former party booker for Paris Hilton, reportedly helped raise more than $3million for the charity by buying marked-up bottles of champagne in 2013.
The LDF's global fundraising chairman, Milutin Gatsby, was not made available to comment about the allegations, though he attended the pricey gala last month.
Indeed, it is speculated that Mr Gatsby is not his real name and is in fact an affectation inspired by the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby - about a wealthy Long Island bootlegger.
In 2013, DiCaprio starred in a lavish movie adaptation of the novel, starring his friend Tobey Maguire.
Low, who graduated from the Wharton School of Business, is also accused of using $1.1million from the 1MBD fund to buy up artwork by Ed Ruscha and Mark Ryden at a Christie's auction benefiting the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, LDF.
He also turned up to DiCaprio's celebrity-filled bash in Saint-Tropez last year, alongside the likes of Harvey Weinstein and David Geffen, where he donated a 1982 Roy Lichtenstein sculpture, worth around $700,000.
But Low never got the chance to see who bought his donation.
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Low (right) with Red Granite Pictures chiefs Riza Aziz (left) and Joey McFarland (center). Aziz is the stepson of Malaysia's prime minister and Low is accused of helping Aziz to fund setting up the company. They are pictured at the premiere of Wolf Of Wall Street, which was funded by Red Granite Pictures, in 2013
Instead, he fled international investigators to fly to Taiwan, which does not have an extradition treaty with the US.
There is no suggestion DiCaprio was aware that the donations or funding for his film was linked to the 1MBD scandal.
It is not the first time Leo's charity has come under scrutiny.
The LDF was founded by the actor in 1998 to protect the environment and the 'last remaining wild places on earth'.
It has since raised tens of millions of dollars towards its causes through DiCaprio's glamorous charity auctions. The most recent event, held last month in France, raised $45million on it's own.
But some have criticized Leo for flying quests half way around the world to attend a party aimed at saving the planet.
Last month, the actor flew a bevy of lingerie models into St. Tropez and sticking them on a luxury 300ft yacht.
The actor (pictured with Tobey Maguire second left and Vincent Larescahops left) has previously come under criticism for his environmentalist fundraisers, traveling by helicopter after his celebrity-filled event
DiCaprio was then pictured minutes later talking on the phone and sucking on a vaper, as he was carted across the runway by a buggy to a gas-guzzling private jet
Joining them for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Annual Gala To Fund Climate And Biodiversity Projects - to give it its full title - were the likes of, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Bradley Cooper, Bono and Naomi Campbell.
Models Constance Jablonski, Joan Smalls, Doutzen Kroes, Lily Donaldson and Anja Rubik were all spotted at the pricey event.
PR man Matthew Freud, 52, was also scene strolling aboard the yacht - the first time he has been seen publicly since his father, the late broadcaster Sir Clement, was revealed as a pedophile who sexually abused teenage girls.
Tickets started at $11,778 for the July 20 event while the bash raised further funds by auctioning prizes given by his Hollywood friends, including film producer Harvey Weinstein, director Martin Scorsese and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Critics were quick to note that the actor's private jet trips undermine his moral authority to preach reducing carbon emissions
The star of 'The Revenant' was in town to host his annual charity gala; raising approximately $45million for environmental causes and research. Left: TobeyMcGuire gets onto the jet, Right: DiCaprio hops on board
All of which is thoroughly admirable and may just help to dim memories of his pollution-heavy lifestyle.
As the Daily Mail revealed earlier this year, in only five months Leo traveled at least 98,813 miles by plane in 18 separate trips.
In total, he is estimated to have emitted a colossal 450 tons of CO2, whereas the average American emits 19 tons a year.
Embarrassingly, one of the journeys was a day trip from New York to Cannes and back — to receive a green award. This was reportedly completed by private jet — a notoriously unenvironmental way to travel.
After his charity bash in July, the actor had hopped off a helicopter to board a gas guzzling private jet two days later.
And to add insult to injury, he was driven by golf buggy across the airport runway for the short distance between the two.
Doutzen Kroes, Sofia Richie and Alessandra Ambrosio (l-r) were just some of the beauties on board for DiCaprio's charity bash last month. Donations to Leonardo DiCaprio's foundation allegedly came from a Malaysian money laundering scandal
Swimsuit girls: The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Annual Gala To Fund Climate And Biodiversity Projects — to give it its full title — was a rum affair last month. Pictured l-r: Smalls, Sofia Ritchie, Kroes and Jablonski
Concerns have also been raised about the lack of transparency at the operation.
Meanwhile, others have questioned how much of the funds raised go towards the causes, and how much is spent on the elaborate events and the charity's payroll.
It was initially created as a small non-profit, run by the star's mother Irmelin, before it changed to become a donor-advised fund, DAF, in 2008, under the California Community Foundation non-profit.
Since 2008, it has donated more than $59million to 112 projects across 48 countries.
As a DAF, the fund accepts donations and DiCaprio can direct where to distribute the cash, but it is not subjected to the same red tape and public disclosure requirements as non-profits.
As such, details about its revenue and expenditure have not been released.
However, the latest allegations in the Department of Justice complaint could force details of the foundation's spending into the public record for the first time.
And it is not just DiCaprio's Foundation that has been linked to the 1MDB scandal.
The complaint states that the actor's film, The Wolf of Wall Street, was also financed in part by embezzled funds.
About $238million of money was allegedly siphoned from the 1MDB fund for the hit movie.
Red Granite Pictures, who produced The Wolf of Wall Street, says it is cooperating with all inquiries.
The Red Granite Pictures company was set up by the stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is at the center of the embezzlement inquiry, and McFarland - introduced by Low. Its headquarters are still above DiCaprio's Sunset Strip midrise.
The LDF gala in Saint-Tropez had a wave of beautiful models attend the event. Above (l-r) Constance Jablonski, Joan Smalls, Doutzen Kroes, Lily Donaldson and Anja Rubik
Low was even given a 'special thanks' in the film's credits and referred to as a 'collaborator' in DiCaprio's 2014 Golden Globes acceptance speech.
DiCaprio's friend reciprocated by bringing The Revenant star along on a $11million gambling bender in Las Vegas. He also shelled out to buy Marlon Brando's best actor Oscar for DiCaprio before his own win this year.
DiCaprio is described as nothing more than a bit player in the scandal.
But the international investigation has swept up other big players from the United States.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc was sued last month by a major shareholder of a Malaysian bank it once advised, and which accused the Wall Street bank of fraudulently shortchanging it in a merger to curry favor with that country's prime minister.
Primus Pacific Partners said it was seeking $510million of damages from Goldman and former Managing Director Tim Leissner, after the bank concealed its conflicts of interest with Prime Minister Najib Razak and Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, according to the suit.
Goldman called the lawsuit 'misguided' and said it would defend against it. A lawyer for Leissner did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The complaint was filed just days after the U.S. government moved to seize $1 billion of assets bought with money it said was stolen from 1MDB by people close to Najib - including some money from bond offerings arranged by Goldman. Najib has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Singapore authorities have already seized assets worth $240 million in the investigation of 1MDB, in a probe which has found 'deficiencies' at several major banks in the city-state.
'The fund flows being investigated include those connected with Good Star Limited (Seychelles), Aabar Investments PJS Limited (BVI), Aabar Investments PJS Limited (Seychelles), and Tanore Finance Corp. (BVI),' said a joint statement by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Commercial Affairs Department.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore said it has completed its inspections of DBS, Standard Chartered and UBS and preliminary findings showed instances of 'control failings' in all three banks and 'weaknesses in the processes for accepting clients and monitoring transactions.
'There was also undue delay in detecting and reporting suspicious transactions,' the statement said.
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