Exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui goes on trial for fraud

22/5/2024 18:10

        Jury selection begins on Wednesday in the criminal trial of exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui, who U.S. prosecutors have accused of defrauding thousands of investors and supporters out of more than $1 billion.
        
        The trial before U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan could last into July.
        
        It is expected to touch on sensitive areas, with prosecutors seeking to keep Guo, a fierce critic of China's Communist Party, from eliciting classified information during witness testimony.
        
        Guo, who has several aliases including Miles Guo, Miles Kwok and Ho Wan Kwok, has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges including securities fraud, wire fraud, unlawful monetary transactions and conspiracy, including for money laundering.
        
        He has been jailed in Brooklyn since his March 2023 arrest, and could face decades in prison if convicted. His age has been reported as 54 and 55, and federal prison records say he is 57.
        
        Guo has been a business associate of former U.S. President Donald Trump's onetime adviser Steve Bannon.