Kim Kardashian took home $250,000 after a baccarat session in Las Vegas staked by disgraced financier Jho Low. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
Just another night in Las Vegas
Several celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Kim Kardashian, have been questioned by the FBI in relation to its investigation into disgraced Malaysian financier Jho Low. A report published by Bloomberg Businessweek on Thursday reveals some of the details of those conversations.
When speaking to the FBI, Kardashian described a night she spent in 2019 playing baccarat in Las Vegas with Low. She was with a group in a private baccarat room until after 5am. At one point, Kardashian got ready to leave, but one of her friends instructed her to remain as he had “heard stories of Low giving people chips at the end of the night.”
he told her she could keep the winnings
Kardashian ended up staying at the table using casino chips that Low had staked. She then hit it big in the baccarat game, but when she attempted to give the chips back to Low at the end of the session, he told her she could keep the winnings.
Big money
The reality television star went to the cashier cage and discovered that she had $350,000 in chips. She was then given a “trash bag full of one hundred dollar bills” worth $250,000. Kardashian put the trash bag stuffed with cash into her carry-on luggage when she flew back to Los Angeles.
Kardashian first encountered Low in 2009 when he paid her $50,000 to appear at his birthday party in a Las Vegas nightclub.
During another gambling session in Las Vegas with Low, Kardashian reportedly won and kept $100,000 in cash. The Bloomberg Businessweek report did not name the casino or casinos where the gambling took place, though a Venetian marketing executive alleged last year that Low had wagered $87m at the baccarat tables at the Venetian resort.
An alleged fraudster
Jho Low appeared on the radar of the FBI as a result of fraud allegations in which he is alleged to have embezzled millions from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) government fund. While Low did not have an official position within the fund, the US authorities believe that he was the mastermind behind the fraud scheme. Low is currently an international fugitive.
The 1MDB fund was started in 2009 and was headed by Malaysia’s prime minister at the time, Najib Razak. Razak was accused in 2015 of embezzling $700m from the fund and transferring the money into his own bank account. He was sentenced in 2018 to 12 years in prison.
reputation for partying in Las Vegas with celebrities
Low had a reputation for partying in Las Vegas with celebrities, as well as spending big money on art and real estate. He was even said to be the main financial backer for The Wolf of Wall Street blockbuster film that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. If it is proven that the money Kardashian received from Low was stolen, she might have to hand it over to the authorities.
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