US authorities have charged a New York-based Chinese property tycoon with multibillion-dollar fraud.
Guo Wengui and one of his business partners, Kin Ming Je, are accused of wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
Mr. Guo is an associate of Stephen Bannon, a critic of the Chinese government and former White House chief strategist.
A fire broke out in Mr Gove’s Manhattan penthouse apartment hours after he was arrested.
A spokesman for the city’s fire department said the fire was under control, no injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.
In an earlier online post, Mr Guo said he was handcuffed and interrogated for more than an hour.
He later pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday and was ordered held without bail.
Mr Go goes by several nicknames, including Miles Go, Miles Kwok and “Brother Seven”. He was named in an indictment unsealed Wednesday as Ho Van Quoc.
The indictment alleges that Mr Guo and Mr Je raised $1 billion (£830m) from thousands of online followers who believed they were funding a media business and an exclusive membership club.
They allegedly stole millions from investors using a cryptocurrency called Himalaya Coin.
Mr. Guo’s opposition to the Chinese Communist Party and his connections to high-profile, right-wing American politicians and activists have earned him millions of online followers, many of whom are Chinese expatriates living in Western countries.
Prosecutors say he used his online presence to raise money for his projects. But instead of investing in the business, the funds were allegedly transferred to personal accounts linked to Mr Guo and Mr Je.
Among other things, the money was spent on a 50,000-square-foot (4,345 sq m) mansion in New Jersey, Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ferrari sports cars, and nearly $1 million worth of Chinese and Persian carpets.
Prosecutors say $100 million was put into a high-risk hedge fund and other money was spent on luxury items, including a $140,000 piano, a $62,000 television and a $53,000 fireplace log cradle holder.
Beginning in September of last year, the US government seized approximately $634 million from 21 different bank accounts.
The indictment alleges that Mr Guo built a following among opponents of the Chinese Communist Party by founding two non-profit organizations.
Who is Guo Wengui?
Mr Guo was a real estate developer who reportedly became China’s richest man before fleeing the country in 2014.
In 2017, he claimed asylum in the United States, alleging persecution by Communist Party officials.
Mr Guo has been the target of social media campaigns supporting the Chinese government, but has also been accused of spreading false rumors about Covid and other subjects on his social media accounts and websites.
His outspoken opposition to China’s rulers has influenced several projects with Mr Bannon. They are often seen together in online videos, and in 2020, they launched a campaign called the New Federal State of China, with the goal of overthrowing the Chinese Communist Party.
Later that year, Mr. Bannon was arrested while on Mr. Go’s yacht in Connecticut. Mr. Bannon was charged in an unrelated case with fraud in an alleged scheme to defraud people who funded a nonprofit company to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
He has pleaded not guilty in the case, and was not named in the indictment against Mr Guo and Mr Je.
Last year, Mr Guo’s GTV Media Group agreed to pay $539 million to the US financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of misleading investors in a cryptocurrency investment scheme. go The company has not admitted wrongdoing in the matter.
Mr Gee, who also goes by the name William Gee, was named in the indictment as Mr Goh’s financier. He is a dual citizen of Britain and Hong Kong, lives in London and remains at large, officials said.
He is listed by UK Companies House as a director of two financial services companies headquartered in West London: ACA Capital and Hamilton Investment Management.
Among the funds seized by US authorities were bank accounts linked to Hamilton and Gator, an alt-tech social media platform funded by Mr Gove.
JEE News has contacted the companies.
In a statement, one of Mr Guo’s foundations called the charges against him “fabricated and unfounded” and alleged that the US justice system was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, without providing evidence.
