Jho Low net worth is estimated to be $150 million as of 2025. The Malaysian financier, whose full name is Low Taek Jho, is an international fugitive wanted for his role as the alleged mastermind of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, one of the largest financial heists in modern history. While authorities have recovered billions of dollars linked to the fraud, Low’s remaining wealth is a testament to the sheer scale of an operation that saw $4.5 billion systematically embezzled from a Malaysian state fund. His story is a globe-spanning tale of audacious theft, unprecedented luxury, and a dramatic fall from grace that implicated banks, governments, and Hollywood elites.
The 1MDB Scandal: Source of a Stolen Fortune
To understand Jho Low’s net worth, one must first understand the source of his wealth. The 1MDB fund was created by the Malaysian government in 2009 to promote economic development. However, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, from 2009 through 2015, high-level officials and their associates, including Low, misappropriated more than $4.5 billion from the fund through a criminal conspiracy involving international money laundering and bribery .
Low, a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, held no official position at 1MDB but was regularly consulted on its decisions and is alleged to have controlled it from behind the scenes . He orchestrated the movement of funds through a complex web of offshore shell companies and bank accounts . The scandal involved three major schemes:
- $1 billion taken through a joint venture with PetroSaudi International.
- $1.4 billion from a Goldman Sachs bond offering that was diverted to a Swiss offshore company.
- $1.3 billion from another Goldman Sachs offering routed to a Singapore account .
Goldman Sachs played a crucial role by underwriting three bond offerings for 1MDB that raised $6.5 billion, for which the bank earned an extraordinary $650 million in fees . The bank later reached a $2.9 billion settlement with the Malaysian government .
A Lavish Lifestyle: Spending the People’s Money
Jho Low used the misappropriated funds to finance a lifestyle of almost unimaginable opulence, cementing his reputation as a modern-day “whale” in the world of high-stakes spending.
Real Estate and Luxury Assets
His acquisitions included a global portfolio of high-end real estate in New York, Beverly Hills, and London . His most famous assets included a $250 million super-yacht called the Equanimity, a private Bombardier Global 5000 business jet, and a luxury boutique hotel in Beverly Hills .
Hollywood and Entertainment
Low embedded himself in Hollywood’s elite society. He founded Red Granite Pictures with the stepson of the former Malaysian Prime Minister and used siphoned funds to finance Martin Scorsese’s 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” a movie about financial corruption for which he was thanked in the closing credits . He invested over $100 million of the stolen funds into the film’s production .
Parties and Gifts
Low became infamous for his extravagant, celebrity-studded parties. He was known to spend millions of dollars in a single night at casinos playing baccarat and to drop similar amounts on champagne in nightclubs . His legendary 31st-birthday party featured pop star Britney Spears emerging from a cake . He also gave incredibly lavish gifts, including tens of millions of dollars in jewelry to supermodel Miranda Kerr and artwork by artists like Picasso and Basquiat to Leonardo DiCaprio, much of which was later surrendered to the U.S. government .
The Great Unraveling: Asset Recovery and Legal Reckoning
The scandal was first exposed in 2015 by investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown . The subsequent international investigations led to a massive global effort to recover the stolen assets, which has directly impacted Low’s net worth.
Global Asset Recovery
The United States Department of Justice, through its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, has been at the forefront of seizing assets linked to the 1MDB scheme. Key recoveries include:
- A $700 million settlement in 2019 to recover assets including high-end real estate and the luxury hotel in Beverly Hills .
- An additional over $100 million in 2024, including a Paris apartment and artwork by Andy Warhol and Claude Monet .
- A $250 million super-yacht seized by authorities in Indonesia .
- In total, the United States has returned or assisted in the return of over $1.4 billion in assets to Malaysia .
Most recently, in September 2025, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission announced it had recovered an additional $8.57 million in assets linked to Low, bringing the total amount recovered by Malaysia to $7.4 billion (31.19 billion ringgit) .
Legal Status and Fugitive Life
While his assets are being seized, Jho Low remains a fugitive. He faces a slew of criminal charges in both the United States and Malaysia, including money laundering, conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and conspiring to make concealed campaign contributions during the 2012 U.S. presidential election . He is believed to be hiding in rural China and is thought to have Cypriot citizenship .
The political change in Malaysia in 2018 led to the prosecution of his associates. Former Prime Minister Najib Razak was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role, and Goldman Sachs bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng were also convicted .
Jho Low Net Worth Analysis: Stolen Billions vs. Current Fortune
The trajectory of Jho Low’s net worth reveals a dramatic story.
- Peak Wealth: At the height of the scheme, he controlled and spent billions of dollars of misappropriated funds.
- Current Net Worth: Today, his net worth is estimated at $150 million . This figure represents the remaining wealth he has managed to retain or conceal from global authorities.
- The Discrepancy: The massive difference between the $4.5 billion that was stolen and his current net worth is accounted for by the billions that have already been recovered by governments worldwide, as well as the immense sums he spent on his extravagant lifestyle over many years.
Conclusion: The Lasting Legacy of a Financial Fugitive
Jho Low’s net worth of $150 million is a shadow of the billions he allegedly controlled, but it remains a symbol of one of the most brazen financial crimes in history. His journey from a Wharton graduate to a fugitive billionaire to a man with a nine-figure fortune on the run illustrates the vulnerabilities of the global financial system to sophisticated corruption. While governments continue to recover stolen assets, the saga of Jho Low serves as a stark warning of the perils of greed, the importance of financial oversight, and the long arm of international justice.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational and educational purposes only. The net worth figure and financial estimates presented are based on data drawn from public sources and are approximations. These values may fluctuate over time and should not be considered definitive. The author and publisher do not endorse or glorify the criminal activities described herein and are not responsible for any misinterpretation of the content. All legal and financial information is provided as-is without warranty of accuracy. The legal situations described are fluid and may have evolved since publication.
FAQs
1. How much of the stolen 1MDB money has been recovered?
Authorities have successfully recovered a massive portion of the embezzled funds. As of 2025, the Malaysian government has recovered a total of $7.4 billion (31.19 billion ringgit) in assets linked to the scandal. The United States Department of Justice, through its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, has also seized and returned over $1.4 billion in assets to Malaysia, including the $250 million super-yacht Equanimity, high-end real estate, and valuable artwork.
2. Where is Jho Low now, and why hasn’t he been arrested?
Jho Low is an international fugitive and is widely believed to be hiding in a remote area of China. His ability to evade capture is thought to be aided by his acquisition of Cypriot citizenship, which provides him with a powerful passport and complicates extradition efforts. Despite facing criminal charges in both the United States and Malaysia, he has successfully remained at large, with authorities from multiple countries actively searching for him.
3. What is Jho Low’s connection to the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”?
Jho Low is directly connected to the film as its financier. He co-founded the production company Red Granite Pictures and used over $100 million that was misappropriated from the 1MDB fund to finance Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.” The irony of using stolen public money to bankroll a film about financial corruption was not lost on investigators, and this connection became a central piece of evidence in the case against him.
4. How did Jho Low manage to steal and spend billions without being caught for so long?
Low was able to operate for years by exploiting a sophisticated network of offshore shell companies and bank accounts to hide the movement of funds. His position as an unofficial, behind-the-scenes advisor to 1MDB gave him influence without official responsibility. Furthermore, the complicity or negligence of major financial institutions, most notably Goldman Sachs, which earned $650 million in fees for its role in the bond deals, created an environment where the massive, suspicious transactions were not properly questioned.
5. Is the $150 million net worth figure his actual money?
The $150 million net worth is an estimate of the wealth Jho Low is believed to still control and conceal from global authorities. It represents the remnants of the billions he stole after accounting for the immense sums he spent on his extravagant lifestyle (parties, real estate, gifts) and the billions that have already been seized by governments worldwide. It is not “legitimate” wealth but rather assets that have, so far, eluded asset recovery efforts.