Swizz Beatz must remain a defendant in a $7.3 million lawsuit tied to fugitive financier Jho Low and the massive 1MDB embezzlement scheme, a federal judge ruled, rejecting his bid to toss the case.
U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald issued the decision on September 26, 2025, keeping alive claims that the Grammy-winning producer received illicit wire transfers from shell companies allegedly controlled by Low during the height of the global fraud.
Several celebrities became entangled in the 1MDB scandal after accepting expensive gifts or money from Jho Low and some were forced to return the gifts.
Model Miranda Kerr returned about $8 million in diamond jewelry he gave her during their relationship. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio handed over a Picasso worth $3.2 million, a Basquiat worth $9 million, and even Marlon Brando’s Oscar statuette, all of which were linked to stolen funds.
Producer Swizz Beatz was also tied to the scheme, accused of receiving more than $7.3 million through Low’s network. Although he returned an Andy Warhol painting, he has fought returning the cash.
The lawsuit, filed by court-appointed liquidators Angela Barkhouse and Toni Shukla, alleges that Dean accepted millions between 2012 and 2014 without providing anything in return.
The money allegedly flowed through a maze of offshore entities linked to Low, who is accused of stealing billions from Malaysia’s 1MDB and SRC International sovereign wealth funds.
“None of the transfers were made for any consideration and, as of the filing of the Amended Complaint, none of the funds have been returned,” Judge Buchwald wrote in her ruling.
One transfer labeled “veryday is your Birthday” was flagged by the court as lacking a credible business justification.
“An eight-word note in a bank statement does not demonstrate that the transfer was, in fact, for that purpose,” Buchwald wrote.
Dean’s legal team argued the case was too old and flawed on procedural grounds, but the judge disagreed.
She found the statute of limitations had not expired due to “adverse domination,” a legal principle that pauses deadlines when wrongdoers control the damaged companies.
“Until the issues of domination and control, which are fact-based, are more fully litigated, the statute of limitations must be deemed not to have expired and must be tolled during the wrongdoers’ period of control,” Buchwald wrote.
The judge also ruled that the liquidators had legal standing to sue under New York law. She dismissed Dean’s argument that the companies were too complicit in the fraud to seek damages.
The complaint includes claims of both actual and constructive fraudulent conveyance, as well as unjust enrichment. Buchwald said the plaintiffs provided enough detail to proceed, including dates and transaction records.
The court has ordered both parties to proceed with discovery. Dean will now have to respond to the allegations in full.
Jho Low, who remains on the run, is at the center of a global scandal that has already led to prison time for former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and a conviction for Pras Michel of the Fugees, who awaits sentencing for charges tied to Low’s influence-peddling scheme.