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Fugees member Pras Michel will stand trial next month on money laundering charges. A few reports have now revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio will stand as one of the witnesses to testify against Michel.
The Daily Mail reported that the Titanic star previously testified as a witness to the scheme in 2019, which also involved his film Wolf of the Wall Street. According to court documents, DiCaprio has been summoned to testify again in the trial, which is scheduled to start on November 4.
Leonardo DiCaprio got involved in the scheme after Michel assisted in managing the budget of The Wolf of Wall Street, which was said to be around $100 million. However, how much Michel provided for the film remains unknown. DiCaprio learned about the accusations in 2019 and approached the Department of Justice to help with the investigation.
Leonardo's spokesperson stated that the actor helped the investigators determine "whether he or his foundation, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, ever received any gifts or charitable donations directly or indirectly related to these parties, and if so, to return those gifts or donations as soon as possible."
The spokesperson continued:
"Both Mr. DiCaprio and LDF continue to be entirely supportive of all efforts to assure that justice is done in this matter. Mr. DiCaprio is grateful for the lead and instruction of the government on how to accomplish this."
Accusations on Pras Michel
Pras Michael was linked to Malaysian businessman and fugitive Jho Low, who reportedly stole billions from the Malaysian state-run economic development fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, also known as 1MDB.
Michel was reportedly paid between $8 million and $40 million to help Low, who is famous for his connections to celebrities, in the scheme.
Pras Michel was accused of helping Low defraud the US government by transferring overseas funds of around $21 million in 2019. The Washington Post stated that around $1 million of those funds were reportedly moved into Barack Obama's election campaign through 20 donors to avoid detection in 2012.
Others on the witness list include three Trump White House staffers, former chief of staff John Kelly, former deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, and former national security advisor H.R. McMaster.
All about Pras Michel
Pras Michel gained recognition as a member of the hip-hop group Fugees. Following the release of their last song, The Score, he began his solo career in music.
Michel released his first EP, Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are), in June 1998 and one of the songs, Ghetto Superstar, became a big hit. The song was later added to the soundtrack of the film Bulworth.
Pras Michel then made his film debut with a cameo appearance in the 1999 superhero comedy film, Mystery Men, followed by the 2000 action film, Turn It Up. He continued to appear in films like Higher Ed, Go for Broke, and The Mutant Chronicles.
The 49-year-old became popular for creating a documentary titled Skid Row, Los Angeles, an account of his nine-day experience posing as a homeless person from downtown Los Angeles. He filmed another documentary, Paper Dreams, in 2009, which remains incomplete, and finished another documentary, Sweet Micky for President, in 2015.
