DiCaprio’s rep said in 2017 that the actor had recently begun proceedings to transfer ownership of the Picasso to the U.S. government and that he also returned Brando’s Oscar, Reuters reported. In addition, Low’s rep issued an emailed statement, saying the Justice Department was continuing its “inappropriate efforts” to seize assets and that its recent activity marked a “further example of global overreach in pursuit of a deeply flawed case,” the outlet said.
In 2018, federal prosecutors charged Low for conspiracy to commit money laundering, bribery and circumvention of accounting controls for allegedly masterminding the embezzlement of $4.5 billion from 1MBD.
The same year, Red Granite reached an agreement with prosecutors to pay $60 million to the U.S. government in order to resolve allegations that it profited from the corruption scandal, Variety reported, adding that under the deal, it did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Also in 2018, DiCaprio gave secret testimony to a Washington, D.C. grand jury to testify as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the scandal, people familiar with the case told the Washington Post, adding the actor was not a target of the probe.
Michel’s trial is set to begin March 2023.