A high-profile cast, including actor Leonardo DiCaprio and several U.S. officials such as an FBI special agent, an IRS investigator, and three Department of Justice prosecutors, were connected to discussions about a sophisticated fraud scheme centered on Joe Lowe. Lowe, a former member of the hip hop group The Fugees known as Prakazrel Michel, has been described as a businessman linked to the case. The coverage focuses on interviews and documents from investigative sources about the alleged scam.
In April 2018, reports indicated that investigators looked into the philanthropic activities of DiCaprio and his production company Appian Way. They also examined Lowe, who faced accusations of siphoning billions from the Malaysian state wealth fund.
According to the agency, Lowe provided gifts to DiCaprio, organized parties across several countries, and supported the film The Wolf of Wall Street with his involvement. DiCaprio told investigators that he met Lowe at a nightclub and nicknamed him the Mozart of business.
DiCaprio stated that his managers had checked the businessman before any collaboration began on the movie project. He also noted that he did not learn what had been revealed during the verification process.
As reported by RBC, in 2019 the United States Department of Justice brought criminal charges against Pras and Lowe for conspiracy and money laundering at the federal level. The allegations include illegal donations exceeding 21 million dollars in 2012 to former President Barack Obama’s campaign. The two were also suspected of helping influence the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the embezzlement of Malaysian 1MDB funds, though the defendants have denied the charges.
In October, DiCaprio testified in a fraud case involving Prakazrel Michel of The Fugees and businessman Joe Lowe.