Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is now entangled in a money scandal in Malaysia being linked to his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. DiCaprio said in a statement via his representatives that he is working with authorities and is awaiting direction from the United States Justice Department.
USA Today reported that DiCaprio is also ready to return gifts or donations to a Malaysian wealth fund due to the pending fraud investigation by the United States and other countries. According to the court documents, the investigators allege that a complex money laundering scheme was used via DiCaprio's foundation in order to unjustly enrich top-level officials in the Malaysian government-controlled wealth fund called 1MDB.
The statement added that DiCaprio is thankful for the lead regarding the case and the instruction of the government on how to resolve the matter. The U.S. Justice Department believes that at least $3.5 billion was stolen from the wealth fund. People close to the Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, are believed to have stolen from the fund, The Guardian reported.
The Malaysian Prime Minister created the wealth fund in 2009 after he took office. His aim was to promote economic development projects in their country. However, the wealth fund accumulated billions in debts over the years. It is believed that $1.3 billion from the stolen funds was used to buy luxury properties in California and New York. $35 million was also allegedly stolen to buy a jet, an art by Vincent Van Gogh and from Claude Monet, and financing the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street."
The complaint adds that more than $700 million was placed in the accounts of "Malaysian Official 1." The official has not been named yet but is said to be the Malaysian Prime Minister himself. DiCaprio was not identified in the complaint but is said to be the person linked to the issue.
One of the people close to the Malaysian Prime Minister named in the complaints is his stepson, Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz. He co-funded the movie production company that worked for "The Wolf of Wall Street." Red Granite also produced the movies like "Daddy's Home" and "Dumb and Dumber To."
DiCaprio was called on to resign from his post as a United Nations "Messenger of Peace" if he does not disclose his financial ties.
