There are few places a Democratic presidential nominee loves to visit more than Hollywood. Movie stars and executives with money to burn  — and an agenda to push — open their wallets and hand over tens of thousands of dollars just for the chance to rub elbows with the person they hope will become the leader of the free world.

But over the weekend, the Tinseltown social scene was buzzing with the surprising news that one of the fattest cats in town, Leonardo DiCaprio, had handed off the hosting duties for a mega-dollar Hillary Clinton fundraiser to Justin Timberlake and his wife, actress Jessica Biel.

DiCaprio is hardly the only celebrity living it up in high-style at charity functions.

While claiming that work obligations on the East Coast were preventing him from running the $33,400-per-ticket affair, he was photographed being involved in a fender-bender while cruising through the Hamptons with his latest model girlfriend, Nina Agdal.

The timing of DiCaprio’s conspicuous absence was all the more intriguing because of his being referenced in a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into “the planet’s largest embezzlement case,” in which more than $3 billion appears to have been misappropriated from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund called 1MDB.

Was he distancing himself from Hillary — or was Hillary distancing herself from him?

While he is not directly under suspicion for criminal activity and is only referenced twice in a 136-page report on the case (as “Hollywood Actor 1″), his friendship with Jho Low, the Malaysian businessman at the heart of the investigation, is shining a spotlight on the complicated world of Hollywood philanthropy.

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The Oscar-winning megastar’s Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF) has received sizable donations from Low, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While plenty of stars establish nonprofit foundations as a means of saving on taxes, engaging in philanthropy, or a combination of the two, the LDF is established not as a nonprofit but rather as a donor-advised fund (DAF) under the oversight of the California Community Foundation (CCF).

While DiCaprio isn’t the only star using a DAF, such setups are less common and raise lots of questions about how they operate and where the money they raise winds up — because they are not required to file itemized public disclosures about how they receive and give out funds.

DiCaprio, his foundation, and the CCF have all turned down requests from THR related to those kinds of transparency issues. The fact that DiCaprio’s foundation received some sizable donations from Low without having to disclose how the money was spent is raising eyebrows.

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The questions about how much of the LDF’s money goes to actual charities and activist groups comes up because DiCaprio’s fundraising events are particularly lavish — and partly serve as excuses for his famous pals to get together in exotic locales and party.

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When DiCaprio takes over a lush property in St. Tropez and invites hundreds of bigwigs from entertainment, business, and politics (including Bono, Scarlett Johansson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger) to burn carbon flying out to an event ostensibly raising awareness about climate change, and the food served includes high-end fish from the very oceans DiCaprio claims are endangered, one might say it doesn’t look good.

To be fair, the LDF told THR in a statement that it has disbursed more than $30 million in donations already this year — but the statement did not offer specific details. And DAFs are growing in popularity as philanthropic outlets because they require less in startup costs than traditional nonprofits and are able to give immediate charitable tax deductions.

Related: Hollywood’s Hypocritical Hotspot

DiCaprio is hardly the only celebrity living it up in high-style at charity functions.

With the Emmys coming up in September, plenty of parties will be thrown tied to causes as stars try to mingle with each other in a search for awards votes.

Add in Hillary running all the way to early November, and there will be plenty of parties where tickets go for the same price as many Americans’ annual salaries. On Monday, Clinton added to her take from the Timberlake party with events hosted by Magic Johnson and Hollywood financier Haim Saban.

It’s an image thing.

These kinds of expensive fundraisers have been standard in largely liberal Hollywood forever. Some stars have a passion for a candidate or cause, but they are also inspired by a desire to look like they’re using their fortunes for the common good. It’s an image thing.

Eva Longoria is another prominent star with ties to questionable philanthropic endeavors, having had to distance herself from two close friends who ran a series of events known as Global Gift Galas, in which celebrity attendees were lavished with spectacular gifts including high-end jewelry in exchange for their participation.

Of course, many stars engage in legitimate philanthropy, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) is a key organization in helping stars ensure their time and money is going to established causes that don’t waste the very funds they’re receiving. Established in 1942 by heavy-hitters including studio head Samuel Goldwyn and stars including Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, the EIF has helped more than 300 established charities ranging from the USO and American Red Cross to Stand Up to Cancer find the star power and funding they need to succeed.

Ultimately, the lesson here is that just because stars show up and shell out for a particular cause or candidate, it doesn’t mean they’re doing so in a selfless manner. Think for yourself about what causes you want to give to, rather than letting the distractions of the Hollywood spotlight risk leading you astray.