Guo Wengui

Guo Wengui (Chinese: 郭文贵; born May 10, 1970—self claim or October 5, 1968), also known under the Cantonese name Ho Wan Kwok (郭浩云), Miles Guo, and Miles Kwok, is a self-exiled Chinese billionaire businessman, political activist, and convicted fraudster who controls Beijing Zenith Holdings (via proxies Li Lin and Jiang Yuehua) and other assets. At the height of his career, he was the 73rd-richest person in China. Guo was accused of corruption and other misdeeds by the Chinese authorities and fled to the United States in late 2014 after learning he was going to be arrested under allegations of bribery, kidnapping, money laundering, fraud, and rape. Guo said the charges were politically motivated and part of a campaign of political retribution carried out against him by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Guo is an associate of Steve Bannon and a member of U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Guo claims to be a whistle-blower, but some of his statements were unable to be verified by newspapers such as The New York Times. Between 2018 and 2020, Guo 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. In 2021, Guo 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. In March 2023, Guo was arrested by U.S. federal authorities on fraud charges. In July 2024, Wengui was convicted in New York of defrauding followers. At the sentencing hearing on January 6, 2025, where both Guo and his associate, Yvette Wang, were supposed to be sentenced, only Yvette was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role. The court is yet to schedule another sentencing date for Guo.