WASHINGTON — Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court Monday morning as part of a trial involving international money laundering, bribery and a prominent rap artist.

Prakazrel “Pras” Michel — a founding member of the iconic 1990s hip-hop group, The Fugees —- is accused of funneling money from a fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Five years later, prosecutors say he tried to squelch an investigation into that same financer under former President Donald Trump’s administration.

At the heart of the case is Low Taek Jho, usually known as Jho Low. He is accused of masterminding an international money laundering and bribery scheme that stole billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB.

DiCaprio's connection with the case comes from his years-long relationship with Low, who was one of the primary financers of the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Low is currently a fugitive but has maintained his innocence.

According to the charges, Michel essentially became a conduit for Low's pilfered millions and his attempts to influence the U.S. government. Prosecutors allege that from June to November 2012, Low directed more than $21.6 million to be moved from foreign entities to Michel’s accounts in order to funnel money into the 2012 presidential election. They say Michel then paid about 20 straw donors and conduits so they could make the donations in their names and conceal where the money actually came from, according to the indictment.

DiCaprio testified that he met and befriended Low at a birthday party in Las Vegas in 2010. “I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia,” he said.

The 48-year-old Oscar winner answered questions on the witness stand calmly — occasionally deferring to a fuzzy memory on some details and dates. In addition to his relationship with Low, DiCaprio said he had known the defendant Michel since sometime in the 1990s when they met backstage after a Fugees concert.

Low was known for hosting lavish star-studded parties and group vacations on his private jet to events like the World Cup in Brazil. DiCaprio recounted one particular junket that involved flying to Australia to celebrate New Year's Eve, then flying to Las Vegas to celebrate a second time in one day. Michel was present on some of these trips, DiCaprio said.

Low became a regular contributor to DiCaprio's charitable foundation, and eventually Low floated the idea of providing the primary financing for “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

DiCaprio said he had Low's funding and legitimacy carefully vetted before entering into a business relationship.

“I was given the green light by my team as well as my studio,” he said. “He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie.”

DiCaprio also recalled a “casual conversation” with Low in which Low told him he intended to make a large contribution to Obama's reelection campaign.

“It was a significant sum — something to the tune of $20-30 million," he testified. "I said, ‘Wow that’s a lot of money!'”

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NEW YORK — Angelina Jolie’s new friend David de Rothschild might be more interesting than Brad Pitt.

The son of the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild is an heir of the Rothschild banking family of England.

This column reported a few weeks ago that Angie was looking for an appropriate partner. Now maybe she has found him.

The British explorer has been living in Venice Beach with Ukrainian actress Karina Deyko and is friends with actor Ezra Miller and Fiat heir Lapo Elkann.

De Rothschild owns a clothing company called Lost Explorer, but he’s better known as a climate change activist who has hiked to both poles.

He also built a catamaran, Plastiki, out of discarded plastic bottles and then sailed the boat from San Francisco to Sydney.

De Rothschild, a connoisseur of beautiful women, once dated actress Diane Kruger.

While their very public three-hour lunch was all philanthropy and let’s save the planet together, sources say Jolie and de Rothschild were taking measure of each other.

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LOS ANGELES — Kaley Cuoco is flying high after giving birth to her first child.

The star of “ The Flight Attendant ” and “ The Big Bang Theory ” said on Instagram Saturday that she and fellow actor Tom Pelphrey now have a daughter named Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey.

“The new light of our lives!” Cuoco posted, along with a series of pictures of the baby, who was born Thursday. “We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle.”

Cuoco has been married twice before, most recently to equestrian Karl Cook. The two split in 2021. Last year she began dating Pelphrey, and in October they announced they were expecting a child together.

Cuoco, 37, appeared for 12 seasons on the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory." She has played the title role in “ The Flight Attendant ” on HBO Max for two seasons, and was nominated for an Emmy for each.

It's also the first child for Pelphrey, 40, who has acted primarily in soaps, including “Guiding Light” and “As The World Turns.”

From combined wire services