The Wolf of Wall Street is a story rife with corruption. The story is based on real-life Wall Street broker Jordan Belfort, who made millions of dollars by bilking wealthy investors.
The Wolf of Wall Street is about stolen money and international scandal, but in a strange, layered twist, authorities say the film may have been backed by stolen money and international scandal.
Just when it looked like they might not have any offers, a little-known company called Red Granite Pictures came forward. It had only one movie under its belt, but it coughed up over $100 million to make The Wolf Of Wall Street.
Global investigators are now saying the money used to make the film may have come from a state fund that was delegated to help economic development in Malaysia.
Money to make 'Wolf of Wall Street' came from embattled Malaysian development fund, #1MDBhttps://t.co/DT2ybcqlFJ???? pic.twitter.com/BzZojQ1rXW— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 2, 2016
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 2, 2016
Prime Minister Razak is the stepfather of Riza Aziz, who is chairman of Red Granite Pictures.
1MDB is now the focus of much attention. It has run up $11 billion in debt, and there are escalating questions in Malaysia about how some of its money was used.
A money trail through Red Granite Pictures, followed by two nations, has been traced to offshore shell companies, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"The story of how The Wolf of Wall Street was financed brings together Hollywood celebrities with a cast of characters mostly known for their connections to the Malaysian prime minister. It detours through parties in Cannes and aboard a yacht, and spending on such embellishments as a rare, million-dollar movie poster and an original 1955 Academy Award statuette."
https://t.co/Bdy5RTG9LR— Tessarajan (@Tessarajan) April 2, 2016
— Tessarajan (@Tessarajan) April 2, 2016
"Red Granite is responding to all inquiries and cooperating fully."
DiCaprio and Scorsese have not responded to questions about the investigation.
Some of the money to make "The Wolf of Wall Street" was allegedly laundered from a scandal-hit Malaysian firm. https://t.co/WZg6LL0q5J — GMA News (@gmanews) April 2, 2016
"...a peripatetic Malaysian businessman named Jho Low, who became a fixture on the party circuit in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York starting in 2009. Mr. Low gained media attention for a lavish lifestyle that brought him into the orbit of celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan."
"Aziz and McFarland worked for a time out of L'Ermitage Beverly Hills, a luxury hotel owned by a company Mr. Low founded. The aspiring movie moguls later set up an office on Sunset Boulevard that they filled with Hollywood memorabilia."
Hollywood Reporter published a story in 2014 about how Red Granite Pictures was sued for racketeering by the producers of Dumb and Dumber.
The Wolf of Wall Street grossed $400 million, but the Wall Street Journal said there aren't indications of any of it being returned to the fund or to Malaysia.
[Image via J. Stone/Shutterstock]
