The Low assets the U.S. is trying to seize include a stake in New York’s Park Lane Hotel, a $107 million interest in EMI Music Publishing, a $35 million Bombardier Jet and a $30 million penthouse at Time Warner Center in New York.
Diamonds, Picasso
In a second round of 1MDB-related forfeiture lawsuits filed in June, the Justice Department alleged that a $1.29 million heart-shaped diamond and a $3.8 million diamond pendant Low gave in 2014 to his then-girlfriend, actress Miranda Kerr, were bought with stolen money.
Low allegedly also gave a $3.2 million Picasso painting to actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who played the lead in "The Wolf of Wall Street," a movie the U.S. says was financed by Riza Aziz, a stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, using misappropriated 1MDB funds.
Najib, who until last year was the chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board, has denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by Malaysia’s attorney general.
The Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance and 1MDB didn’t immediately reply to emails seeking comment on the latest U.S. filings. 1MDB is wholly-owned by the finance ministry and it has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Malaysia’s prime minister and attorney general responded angrily to the U.S. forfeiture actions in June and suggested they were politically motivated.
Low also issued a statement in June, saying the U.S. government was continuing “inappropriate efforts to seize assets despite not having proven that any improprieties have occurred.”
“We look forward to the court being presented with the actual facts which demonstrate that the DOJ’s case is completely without foundation,” he said through a representative.
The case is U.S. v. "The Wolf of Wall Street," 16-cv-05362, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles).