All About Jho Low, the Alleged Mastermind of the 1MDB Scandal

US prosecutors call him the mastermind of one of the largest frauds in history. He’s avoided arrest since disappearing from public view in 2015. Now, from wherever he’s hiding, the fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low is seeking a pardon from President Donald Trump.

The US charged Low in 2018 with devising the scheme to siphon $4.5 billion from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB. The US said Low took at least $1.4 billion for himself and used a chunk of the cash to fund a lavish lifestyle. He hobnobbed with Hollywood celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, bought luxury real estate in Los Angeles, New York and London, and once lost $26 million while gambling in Las Vegas, according to testimony at a 2022 trial in the US.