1. Guo Wengui, known under the Cantonese name Ho Wan Kwok, Miles Guo, and Miles Kwok, is a self-exiled Chinese billionaire businessman, political activist and convicted fraudster, who controls Beijing Zenith Holdings and other assets.
36 Facts About Guo Wengui
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Guo Wengui said the charges were politically motivated and are a product of a campaign of political retribution carried out against him by the Chinese Communist Party.
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Guo Wengui is an associate of Steve Bannon and a member of US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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Between 2018 and 2020, Guo Wengui launched two media projects with Bannon, G News and GTV Media Group, which spread misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including unproven treatments and conspiracy theories about vaccines.
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In 2021, Guo Wengui reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission to pay $539 million in refunds and fines in connection with illegal fundraising for the companies.
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In March 2023, Guo Wengui was arrested by US federal authorities on fraud charges.
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In July 2024, Guo Wengui was convicted in New York of defrauding followers.
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Guo Wengui began his business career in Zhengzhou, before moving to Beijing to secure various construction deals during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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In 2014, Guo Wengui departed China after one of his political connections faced arrest.
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Guo Wengui responded by claiming Hu defamed him and responded with a set of personal accusations against Hu, claiming Hu had a romantic entanglement with his business rival.
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Guo Wengui opened a Twitter account in early 2017, frequently criticizing individuals within the Chinese establishment.
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Guo Wengui has continued to conduct a political agenda to bring attention to corruption in the Chinese political system from his New York home.
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In November 2018, Guo Wengui put the apartment up for sale for US$67 million.
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Since January 23,2017, Guo Wengui accepted multiple interviews with media such as Mingjing, Voice of America and BBC.
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Guo Wengui started a campaign of accusing Chinese officials of corruption through live monologues on his YouTube and Twitter channel.
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Guo Wengui acquired a minority stake in PKU Healthcare from state-owned Founder Group's PKU Healthcare Group.
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On October 5,2017, Guo Wengui made public in Washington a so-called "confidential document of the Chinese government" with the self-proclaimed verification of the US government, featuring China's "working plan of secretly dispatching 27 police officers" to the United States on field duty in 2017.
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In connection with the loan, Guo Wengui signed a personal guarantee.
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In 2020, an apartment worth $55 million that an investment fund bought for Guo Wengui's use was seized in a bankruptcy proceeding in connection with the lawsuit.
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HNA said the comments caused the company to lose business and suffer a drop in share prices, but Guo Wengui said he welcomes a legal spat with the giant Chinese conglomerate in the United States.
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In March 2019 HNA claimed that Guo Wengui's statements had no longer caught public attention and planned to drop this suit.
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Almost at the same time, Guo Wengui posted tweets on his own social media "Guo Wengui Media" declaring that he refused to withdraw from the HNA case and would continue.
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On November 20,2018, Guo Wengui held a conference with his close friend Steve Bannon in New York about the death of Wang Jian in France, who was the former chairman of HNA Group.
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However, this lawsuit was dismissed, and after that Guo Wengui filed a US$50 million defamation lawsuit in New York state against several companies and individuals including Strategic Vision US and CNN host Erin Burnett, who called him a spy during the Outfront television program.
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Guo Wengui Media paid Bannon $1 million in exchange for consulting services from August 2018 to August 2019, and Bannon has an office in Guo Wengui Media's headquarters.
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Guo Wengui's media were noted for spreading misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Guo Wengui had a large following on Twitter that shared the unverified stories immediately after publication.
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In July 2021, BBC News reported on the collaboration between Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui in disseminating misinformation about election fraud and COVID-19 vaccines, as well as QAnon narratives on social media platforms.
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Lianhe Zaobao states the accounts shared Guo Wengui's videos claiming that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party and that Singapore is doomed like Hong Kong.
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In 2017 Guo Wengui accused Taiwanese actress Lin Chi-ling of having an affair with Chinese businessman Xiao Jianhua.
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In December 2020 Teng Biao said Guo Wengui had arranged picketing of the homes of Teng and other dissidents, accusing them of conspiring with the Chinese government.
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Guo Wengui was arrested on March 15,2023, in New York by federal authorities, for conspiracy to defraud his online followers out of more than $1 billion.
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Guo Wengui faced 12 criminal charges, including securities and wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.
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Guo Wengui pled not guilty to all 12 charges and was jailed awaiting trial.
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On July 16,2024, after a trial which lasted seven weeks in a Manhattan federal courthouse, Guo Wengui was convicted of defrauding investors and supporters of around $1 billion.
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Guo Wengui was found guilty on nine of the twelve criminal counts, including securities and wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering.