Miles Guo, the Chinese tycoon charged with defrauding his fans of more than $1 billion, once starred in a music video where he shadowboxed on a luxury yacht to lyrics like 'take down the CCP'
Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Guo, was arrested on 11 counts of fraud and money laundering.
Before his arrest, Guo would regularly feature in his own hip-hop and pop music videos.
He rapped about bringing down the Chinese government and sang about a cryptocurrency he backed.
Guo Wengui, a self-exiled Chinese billionaire and known associate of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was on Wednesday arrested by the US on fraud and money-laundering charges.
He also has a penchant for starring in his own music videos.
Guo, also known as Miles Guo, is credited on Apple Music and Spotify as the artist behind at least 14 hip-hop, pop, and lo-fi songs. On these tracks, he raps about the downfall of the Chinese central government and sings about the benefits of cryptocurrency.
One of the political activist's most well-known works is a music video on YouTube, titled "Fight For Hong Kong."
In the video, Guo is seen smoking cigars aboard a luxury yacht, air boxing in sunglasses in front of the Statue of Liberty, and strolling on a balcony overlooking Central Park while dressed in a traditional Chinese tunic.
"CCP, you're over! Taking down the CCP, the evil CCP, is the only way for us to live without fear," Guo raps in Mandarin.
The song is frequently used by Bannon on his show "War Room" as a background track, for when Bannon transitions between the podcast's different segments.
Guo also features in a 2020 video for a song called "Take down the CCP," where he's filmed lying sideways on a boat while performing a kung-fu kick.
Another video sees Guo hyping up Himalaya Coin, or Hcoin, a cryptocurrency that Guo and Bannon promoted. At the time, Guo had a business relationship with Himalaya Exchange, the platform that trades in Hcoin, Bloomberg reported in 2021.
In "Hcoin to the Moon," Guo rides in a red Ferrari, performs kicks and punches on a yacht, and welcomes viewers to "the new world."
He's not the only Chinese billionaire who's starred in a bombastic musical number. E-commerce mogul Jack Ma left his company, Alibaba, in 2019 with a rock concert with a performance of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up."
Guo currently faces 11 counts of fraud and money laundering charges, per an announcement from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.
In the announcement, US Attorney Damian Williams said Guo "led a complex conspiracy to defraud thousands of his online followers out of over $1 billion dollars."
"Kwok is charged with lining his pockets with the money he stole, including buying himself, and his close relatives, a 50,000 square foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari, and even two $36,000 mattresses, and financing a $37 million luxury yacht," said Williams, referring to Guo by the Cantonese version of his last name.
Separately on Wednesday, when the FBI searched Guo's Manhattan penthouse hours after he was arrested, a fire broke out in the apartment and the agents had to evacuate, per the BBC. The fire is being investigated, the outlet reported.
A representative for Guo did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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