A federal judge in Manhattan Monday sentenced self-exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui to 30 years in prison for financial fraud. Guo was convicted in 2024 after transforming himself from wealthy Beijing insider to U.S.-based anti-Communist crusader with prominent conservative allies and a luxury lifestyle. U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres said he had "preyed on people seeking to bring democracy to China," causing more than 1,000 supporters "substantial financial and emotional harm." Guo fled China in 2015 amid an anti-corruption crackdown. "By 2017, he was a member of Mar-a-Lago" and quickly "built political and business connections with some powerful people" in President Donald Trump's orbit, notably Steve Bannon, The New York Times said. Bannon was arrested aboard Guo's yacht in 2020 for allegedly defrauding investors, though "Trump eventually pardoned him." Bannon "has repeatedly called for Guo's freedom," The Wall Street Journal said.