FBI grilled Kim Kardashian after she received $250K and lavish wedding gift from 1MDB fugitive Jho Low
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Newly released FBI documents reveal that Kim Kardashian was interviewed by the agency in 2019 as part of their investigation into Jho Low, the central figure in the 1MDB embezzlement scandal, as per an explosive report. Kardashian reportedly won $350,000 while gambling with Low in Las Vegas and was given “a trash bag full of one hundred dollar bills,” worth $250,000. The papers also show that Kardashian received $305,000 from Low as a wedding gift and used it to buy a Ferrari.
After meeting at a club, Low and Kardashian reportedly went on a dinner date and since then, developed a strange friendship. Low promised her expensive gifts, including diamond necklaces and paintings, some of which never materialized. In 2012, Low paid $1.25 million for Kanye West to perform on a yacht in Italy and gave Kim $250,000 for her appearance, as per Bloomberg Businessweek. Later in 2014, Low offered Kim a Basquiat painting, but Kanye suggested she ask for a Monet instead to mess with Low, as they found him fickle in his gift-giving.
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Who is Jho Low?
Jho Low is a Malaysian businessman and fugitive, facing charges of money laundering related to the infamous 1MDB fund embezzlement scandal. Once a close associate of the Malaysian prime minister, Low siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars from the sovereign wealth fund to live a lavish lifestyle, partying with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton. However, in 2014, the scandal was uncovered, leading to attempts to recover $1 billion in assets from Low. The US Department of Justice alleges that most of 1MDB's money was embezzled and funneled into shell companies and offshore accounts linked to Low. Prior to his involvement in the 1MDB scandal, Low was known for his lavish lifestyle, partying with celebrities, and investing heavily in high-end real estate and art.
Leonardo DiCaprio's relationship with Jho Low
Jho Low had indulged in a lavish lifestyle with DiCaprio, treating him with extravagant gifts and partying with him around the world. The Malaysian financier had even financed DiCaprio's 2013 film 'The Wolf of Wall Street.' DiCaprio told FBI agents that their acquaintance began at a nightclub, and he was informed that Low's money came from an enigmatic 'whale of whales' in Abu Dhabi, according to a Bloomberg report. He was also told that Low was the 'Mozart of the business world.'
According to FBI reports, DiCaprio was close friends with Low but typically relied on his representatives to vet his associates before working with them. DiCaprio reportedly did not take rumors linking Low to the 1MDB scandal seriously until negative news stories emerged and his team alerted him. In 2015, when reports linking Low to the scandal first surfaced, DiCaprio was planning a fundraiser in Saint-Tropez and Low promised to donate a piece by Roy Lichtenstein. However, the artwork never arrived, and DiCaprio had to remove it from the auction. He subsequently distanced himself from Low.