Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon greeted fugitive Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui before introducing him at a press conference in New York on Nov. 20, 2018.
Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images
controversial Exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui — Former Trump White House Advisor Associate Steve Bannon — Arrested in New York Wednesday on suspicion of organizing a complex $1 billion fraud scheme They tricked their online followers with promises of huge ROI.
Guo He reportedly used some of the funds raised through his company GTV Media and other entities to build a 50,000-square-foot New Jersey mansion, a $37 million yacht, and $3.5 million for his son. I bought a Ferrari, a $140,000 Bosendorfer piano, and two Hasten 2000T mattresses. A whopping $36,000.
Prosecutors have seized more than $650 million in fraudulent proceeds from 21 different bank accounts and assets, including a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster car, as part of a lawsuit against Guo and his financial adviser, William Je. Manhattan Federal Court.
Guo, 52, pleaded not guilty Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan. He postponed his bail application until his lawyer returned from out of town. The public defender in charge of Mr. Guo’s hearings declined to comment.
The fire started when FBI agents searched a Manhattan penthouse apartment owned by Guo on Wednesday, an agency spokesperson said. I called 911 around noon ET.
The New York City Fire Department has extinguished the blaze, and the cause is under investigation by the Bomb Squad. Guo was in custody before the fire started.
of Securities and Exchange Commission Submit relevant documents separately civil litigation against Guo and Je, a fugitive 56-year-old resident of the UK and Hong Kong. The SEC charges Guo and Je with involvement in unregistered fraudulent financial products.
The SEC has separately accused Guo of making misrepresentations while raising hundreds of millions of dollars from investors through a cryptocurrency asset known as H-Coin.
Last September, including three companies related to Guo GTV mediaagreed to pay approximately $540 million to settle a civil lawsuit SEC of the illegal provision of Stock and Digital Assets.
Guo known by several different names, including Miles Guo Miles KwokBrother Seven, and The Principal have been living in the United States since 2015 after fleeing China, reportedly to fend off looming corruption charges.
In 2018, he founded two non-profit organizations, the Rule of Law Foundation and the Rule of Law Society, dedicated to public relations with the Chinese Communist Party.
Guo used non-profits to gather supporters who would agree and believe in his alleged policy goals in China. [Guo’s] Statement on Investments and Financial Opportunities,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement on criminal matters.
Former President Bannon donald trump He was a Senior White House Counselor for less than a year, at one point serving on the Board of Directors of the Rule of Law Society.
In June 2021, Guo’s two nonprofits will private party In New York, Bannon, former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump ally and conspiracy theorist and My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell were present.
In August 2020, federal officials arrested Bannon on a Guo-owned megayacht off the coast of Connecticut for siphoning funds for a “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign. Months later, just before Trump stepped down, he pardoned Bannon for the incident.
Long Island Sound, the ‘Lady Mei’ yacht owned by Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.
NBC Connecticut
Lawyer for the president’s son, Hunter Biden, last month Joe Biden, sent Guo a letter requesting that he keep records related to Hunter Biden.The letter was sent two months later mother jones The magazine reportedly arranged for Guo and his followers to disseminate lewd videos and photos from Hunter Biden’s laptop, which he obtained from a computer repair shop in Delaware, while Bannon was working with Giuliani. ” spelled out how.
A 12-count grand jury criminal indictment sealed Wednesday alleges Guo and Jae “conspired to defraud thousands of victims” in a plot from 2018 to this month.
The alleged conspiracy involved the use of various organizations and programs to obtain investments from victims who were duped by false representations and false statements, prosecutors said.
“Kwok lied to victims and promised huge profits if they invested in or funded GTV.” [Media]the so-called Himalaya Farms Alliance, G|CLUBS, Himalaya Exchange,” prosecutors said in a press release.
Guo and Je have been charged with wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
Je has also been charged with obstruction of justice since last September for allegedly attempting to transfer funds related to this conspiracy to the United Arab Emirates. This was after U.S. authorities issued seizure warrants to several banks to seize approximately $355 million in proceeds from alleged fraud.
Guo and Je could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted in a criminal case.
Gurbir Grewal, head of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, described Guo as “more than $850 million by promising huge returns to investors who see opportunities in cryptocurrencies, technology and luxury goods. called a series of scammers who procured
“In reality, Guo has used the hype and lure surrounding cryptocurrencies and other investments to victimize thousands of people and fund his and his family’s lavish lifestyles. ‘, said Grewal.
The SEC complaint states that one example of Guo and Je’s alleged fraud is the private offering of GTV Media Group’s common stock.
“Guo and Zhe are suspected of diverting $100 million of investor funds into a hedge fund solely for a company owned by Guo’s son,” the SEC said.
Guo diverted investor proceeds in two other sales to pay more than $40 million to buy and renovate a New Jersey mansion and buy a Ferrari for his son, according to the SEC. It has been with.
— WNBC’s Jonathan Diensto contributed to the report
