The US Department of Justice obtained a court order to seize a luxury condominium in New York City that was allegedly purchased with funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) between 2009 and 2015 by high-level officials, their associates, and fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, known as Jho Low [1, 2, 3, 4].
The condominium was bought for the benefit of May Ling Catherine Tan, Jho Low’s personal assistant, and also generated rental income retained by Tan. The forfeiture order covers both the apartment and the rental proceeds, which will be forfeited to the US government, according to the DOJ [1, 2, 5, 3, 4]. The DOJ stated: "Under the forfeiture order entered in this case, the condominium and rental proceeds held by Tan will be forfeited to the United States government" [2].
The seizure resolves a civil forfeiture case filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California seeking recovery of more than US$6 million (approximately RM24 million) in assets linked to 1MDB corruption [1, 2, 5, 3, 4]. Funds misappropriated from 1MDB were reportedly diverted to purchases of luxury real estate in New York, Beverly Hills, London, a superyacht measuring 300 feet, artworks by Monet and Van Gogh, and investments in the Hollywood and music industries [2, 3, 4].
The FBI’s International Corruption Squad in New York leads the investigation, with cooperation from authorities in Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, the UK, Luxembourg, Indonesia, Latvia, and France [3, 4]. Jho Low remains a fugitive believed to be living overseas [5, 4].
On May 27, 2026, the US DOJ issued a statement announcing the forfeiture order of the New York apartment. The following day, multiple news outlets reported on the seizure, confirming the court order and associated details [1, 2, 3, 4].
