Swizz Beatz is pushing again towards claims that he pocketed $7.3 million in stolen 1MDB funds, insisting the cash was reputable enterprise revenue tied to his music ventures, not proceeds from Malaysia’s large corruption scandal.

Attorneys for the Grammy-winning producer rejected accusations that he knowingly obtained “fraudulent transfers” from shell firms tied to fugitive financier Jho Low.

The swimsuit, filed by British Virgin Islands liquidators representing defunct entities that prosecutors say had been used to divert Malaysian state funds, seeks to get well tens of millions allegedly routed to Dean, his firm Swizz Beatz Productions Inc., and one other entity, Monza Studios Inc., between 2012 and 2014.

Dean admits receiving a number of transfers totaling $7.3 million however denies any wrongdoing. His attorneys say the funds had been funds for skilled companies and investments, not bribes or laundered property.

One transaction, a $1.5 million switch, was explicitly labeled “Alsen Chance investment in music production (Everyday Is Your Birthday),” an outline Dean’s crew says proves the deal had a transparent enterprise goal.

“Defendants deny such funds were fraudulently or improperly transferred,” the submitting states, arguing that each one funds had been “received without actual fraudulent intent and for reasonably equivalent value.” The funds reportedly moved via JPMorgan Chase accounts in New York between September 2012 and September 2014.

According to the response, $3.3 million went to Swizz Beatz Productions, $1.8 million to Monza Studios, and $2.2 million to Dean personally.

Dean’s attorneys at Blank Rome LLP keep that their shopper had no data of the 1MDB scheme or the origins of the cash. They body him as an harmless enterprise companion whose title is being dragged into a worldwide scandal years after the very fact.

The submitting additionally reveals Dean’s restricted connection to Jho Low, admitting he met the Malaysian financier within the 2010s however denying any friendship or involvement in his affairs.

“Dean was introduced to Low but deny Low and Dean were friends,” the doc states.

The 1MDB fraud, one of the largest embezzlement scandals in history, saw billions stolen from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund and laundered via luxurious actual property, artwork, and leisure ventures.

Low, who stays a fugitive, is accused of funneling cash to celebrities, film producers, and artwork sellers as a part of a worldwide internet of corruption. Dean beforehand surfaced within the 1MDB saga when the U.S. Department of Justice moved to grab an Andy Warhol portray related to Low.

Dean agreed to give up the art work in 2020 however did so “without admission of liability,” in accordance with court docket data. The distinction between Dean’s civil case and the prison fallout for others linked to Low’s community is hanging.

Former Fugees rapper Pras Michel faces 15 to 19½ years in prison after a Washington, D.C. federal judge sided with prosecutors’ sentencing recommendations, ruling that Michel’s role in the 1MDB lobbying and foreign-agent conspiracy warranted the “eye-watering” term, according to AllHipHop.com.

Michel was convicted final 12 months of working as an unregistered international agent and conspiring with Low to affect U.S. officers on the financier’s behalf.

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