Pras, a member of the Fugees, is now on trial for felony conspiracy charges, and Leonardo DiCaprio is the newest witness to testify.
The actor testified in court in Washington, D.C. on Monday, April 3, as one of numerous witnesses for the prosecution, according to Rolling Stone.
In his testimony, Leonardo DiCaprio—who has not been charged with any wrongdoing—discussed the alleged schemes of Malaysian financier Jho Low, who is accused of stealing $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
Pras is charged with helping Low and illegally transferring part of that cash into American politics, notably by contributing to the 2012 reelection campaign of former President Barack Obama.
After meeting Low at a party in Las Vegas in 2010, according to Leonardo DiCaprio, the Malaysian businessman invited him to “a multitude of lavish parties.”
The Oscar-winning actor testified in court, “I understood [Low] to be a huge businessman with many connections.” “He was a prodigy in the business world.”
Low supported DiCaprio’s humanitarian endeavors, and the actor said that he frequently took part in auctions “to bring in funds” for his foundation.
A business associated with Low also provided funding for Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio.
Leonardo DiCaprio ultimately turned up things he and his organization allegedly got from Low to law enforcement, including paintings by Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
During their discussion of American politics, the actor also recalled Low’s desire in “significant contribution” to the Democratic Party in advance of the 2012 presidential election.
DiCaprio “basically said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of money.’” When Low was supposedly discussing a sum between $20 and $30 million.
Before to the hearing, TMZ found Pras (actual name Prakazrel Samuel Michel) outside the courthouse, but he had “no comment.”
According to the prosecution, Pras received hundreds of millions of embezzled Malaysian dollars in exchange for leading a campaign to influence other governments against the US government.
Moreover, the Fugees singer is charged with attempting to persuade the Trump government to halt its investigation into Low and the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund.
“The defendant needed money and was willing to do anything to get it, including being an agent of the Chinese government,” prosecutor Nicole Lockhart said. “The defendant wanted money and was willing to break any laws necessary to get paid.”
Pras entered a not guilty plea to the federal conspiracy and record-falsification accusations. He may spend 22 years in jail if found guilty.
