A-list actor Leonardo DiCaprio has returned an Oscar he received as a gift from a fugitive financier, who is on the run from authorities after allegedly stealing billions of dollars from a Malaysian government investment fund, according to news reports.
The Oscar, Marlon Brando's 1954 statue from "On the Waterfront," was given to DiCaprio, 44, by disgraced businessman Jho Low, who bought it at an auction for $600,000, according to E! Online.
DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award for 2013’s “The Wolf of Wall Street” and won for his performance in the 2015 film “The Revenant,” also returned other gifts he received from Low, including a Pablo Picasso painting.
Leonardo DiCaprio has been forced to give an Oscar award back - but not his own... https://t.co/l8N2Q6jJIE
— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) December 11, 2018
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences can buy back any Oscar it has handed out over the years for $1, media outlets reported, and it will most likely buy back Brando’s award once the investigation into Low has ended.
The New York Times reported U.S. investigators believe Low is hiding in China.
Cox Media Group
