Chinese fraudster behind network of 95 accounts to be blocked here

The man behind a network of 95 accounts that the authorities have ordered to be blocked in Singapore under the foreign interference law was once a property mogul.

- Ng Wei Kai

Guo Wengui, who also goes by Miles Guo, Ho Wan Kwok and various other names, left China in 2014 and fled to the United States, where he gained a following as a Chinese government critic. On July 17, he was convicted of defrauding his online followers of US$1 billion (S$1.34 billion).

The Straits Times looks at his rise and fall.

Origins and rise in China

Guo was born into poverty in the 1970s in Shandong province, according to various profiles of him published in Western media. He spent some time in jail but later rose to control a property empire, becoming China’s 74th richest person by 2014.

Throughout his career, he cultivated a relationship with a Chinese senior intelligence official – Ma Jian – the nature of which both men have made conflicting statements on at various times.

Ma, who was vice-minister at the Ministry of State Security, was subsequently investigated for corruption, with the Chinese authorities stating that he had used his position to further Guo’s business interests in exchange for bribes.

Chinese officials also accused Guo of bribery, money laundering and other crimes, which he denied.

Guo fled the country, ending up in New York. Ma was later jailed for life.

Anti-Communist critic