THE producer of a film, funded by a stepson of Prime Minister Najib Razak, is in talks with the US Department of Justice to settle a 1MDB-linked suit.

The suit stems from allegations that funds siphoned off from 1Malaysia Development Bhd were used to finance The Wolf of Wall Street, Bloomberg reported today.

Riza Aziz, Najib’s stepson, was the co-founder of Red Granite Pictures Inc, which produced the Martin Scorsese picture in 2013.

The DoJ alleges that US$3.5 billion (RM15.4 billion) was misappropriated from 1MDB and that some of the funds was laundered in the US, including to finance The Wolf of Wall Street. Funds were also diverted to shell companies, which bought penthouses in New York and Beverly Hills, artworks and a Bombardier jet.

The DoJ filed suits in Los Angeles to seize profits, royalties and distribution proceeds owed to Red Granite Pictures. The Oscar-nominated film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, took in more than US$390 million in worldwide ticket sales.

The suits also named Jho Low, a financier of the movie, who received a special mention in the credits.

Bloomberg said lawyers for Red Granite Pictures yesterday asked a federal judge in Los Angeles to extend a deadline in the suit so that they can “focus on their ongoing negotiations”. – May 18, 2017.