Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo and Ho Wan Kwok, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison as he has been found guilty of fraud, money laundering, and securities offences as well as other charges brought about by US authorities.
Guo, who made his fortune as a property developer in China, fled to the US in 2017 seeking asylum after he claimed political persecution by the CCP. From then on, he became a staunch opponent of the Chinese Communist Party. However, as per The Guardian, judge Analisa Torres said that Guo had used his apparent fondness for democracy to "prey" on people wanting a democratic China.
In the US, Guo kept ties with right-wing figures including Steve Bannon, who was arrested in 2020 while aboard Guo's yacht. Guo himself was arrested at his luxury apartment in Manhattan, New York. Prosecutor Ryan Finkel said Guo is "not a democratic activist, he is a con artist, a scammer and a thief." Despite this, his supporters flocked to his trial, and more than one hundred of them attended the event on Monday.
