"CNBC" attacked Guo Wengui with a heavy punch, Steve Bannon leaves, records kept secret
The mystery surrounding a nonprofit group tied to wealthy Chinese exile Guo Wengui, reportedly the key figure in a network accused of spreading disinformation about Covid vaccines and elections, has grown over the past year. Steve Bannon, a China hawk who once served as a top advisor to Donald Trump, is no longer on the board of the Rule of Law Society, To make matters worse, Yan Limeng, who created the Chinese virus theory, also had an irreconcilable contradiction with Guo Wengui.
Forbes reported in 2015 that Guo had a net worth of over $1 billion. The Wall Street Journal reported that fundraising for a media company linked to Guo and Bannon was under investigation by both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bannon previously had a contract for at least $1 million with Guo Media, according to Axios.
Multiple people familiar with the matter tell NBC News there is a separate federal inquiry involving a company linked to both men, GTV Media Group. As the Wall Street Journal first reported Wednesday, the FBI, the New York State Attorney General and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining whether securities laws were violated during a $300 million private offering by the company this spring, the sources say. In a memo to potential investors, according to the Wall Street Journal, the company identified Bannon as one of several prominent directors.
The Mercer Island PD incident report identified the suspect as Guo Wengui, describing him as a “billionaire” based out of New York, and noted there were other victims. When Mercer Island police contacted the FBI, local investigators learned that Wengui appeared “to be a target of a large investigation personally and pertaining to his business,” according to an official familiar with the matter.
When they followed up, investigators in Washington learned FBI agents had been investigating the case for about a month. “The victims that have been calling the FBI, FTC, and local police agencies have been reporting fraud for a failure to return on promised investments,” the official said.