Miranda Kerr turns over $8M in jewelry to the Justice Department
The items may have been purchased with misappropriated funds.
— -- Model Miranda Kerr has turned over more than $8 million worth of jewelry to the U.S. Justice Department — items that may have been purchased with misappropriated funds, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week.
The pieces, including an 8.88-carat diamond pendant worth $3.8 million and a diamond jewelry set worth $2 million, were given to her by Malaysian financier Jho Low, according to the newspaper.
"From the start of the inquiry, Miranda Kerr cooperated fully and pledged to turn over the gifts of jewelry to the government," her spokesman told The Wall Street Journal. "Ms. Kerr will continue to assist with the inquiry in any way she can."
A representative for Kerr confirmed the report to ABC News.
Low has been accused in lawsuits of misappropriating funds from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund meant to aid the development of Malaysia. Bloomberg reported this March that he said he did consulting work for 1MDB and did not break any laws.
Last July, then–Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced that the Department of Justice filed complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of more than $1 billion in assets misappropriated from 1MDB. According to the DOJ, more than $3.5 billion was unlawfully siphoned off by high-level officials and their associates, including Low. The document indicates that Low has been accused of laundering more than $400 million. Funds that were allegedly misappropriated by others went toward the founding of Red Granite Pictures, which financed "The Wolf of Wall Street." Low has denied putting money into Red Granite Pictures, according to a 2015 profile in The New York Times.
However, The Wall Street Journal reported that Low gave "The Wolf of Wall Street" star Leonardo DiCaprio paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Pablo Picasso. DiCaprio's spokesperson released a statement earlier this month indicating that the actor has returned the items and "continues to hope that justice is done in this matter."
"Last July, upon hearing of the government's civil action against certain parties involved in the making of 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' Mr. DiCaprio's representatives — working under his instruction — initiated contact with the Department of Justice. This effort was to determine if there were any gifts or charitable donations originating from the parties named in the civil complaint and to offer the return of any such gifts or donations with the aid and instruction of the government," the statement read. "Prior to the government's filing of the civil pleading [on June 15], Mr. DiCaprio initiated return of these items, which were received and accepted by him for the purpose of being included in an annual charity auction to benefit his eponymous foundation. He has also returned an Oscar originally won by Marlon Brando, which was given to Mr. DiCaprio as a set gift by Red Granite to thank him for his work on 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'"
Bloomberg reported that the fund has denied wrongdoing, as has Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
