Details and evidence
The FBI arrested Guo in 2023 in his luxury Manhattan apartment overlooking Central Park.
During Monday’s hearing, Guo complained about his health and addressed the criminal case only briefly, saying he came to the United States “to destroy” the CCP.
Torres read excerpts from letters she received from victims, who described losing life savings and feeling anxious and shamed, and said some faced backlash from family members over their investment decisions.
The judge said Guo accepted no responsibility for his actions and “instead insists, incredibly, his conduct caused no loss and harmed no one”.
Wei Chen, a victim who testified at trial, told the court that Guo’s fraud “destroyed my life” and that of her family.
In court filings, Guo’s lawyers argued he was the target of a “grand, pervasive, and life-threatening” pursuit by the CCP, and said a lengthy prison term would validate what they described as a Chinese smear campaign and “embolden further efforts to eliminate Chinese dissidents from public life”.
