Two properties tied to the Chinese billionaire and convicted fraudster Guo Wengui have resurfaced for sale — with storied pasts, if not staggering markdowns, that highlight their tainted histories.
Guo’s full-floor penthouse at Manhattan’s Sherry-Netherland, which once served as his opulent home base, is now listed for $19.5 million, The Post has learned.
This marks a precipitous drop from its initial 2015 listing price of $86 million — and, even more recently, its $24 million price tag from just two months ago.
Billionaire Chinese businessman Guo Wengui on his terrace at the Sherry- Netherland hotel on Fifth Ave in 2018. Helayne SeidmanPurchased for $67.5 million nearly a decade ago, the 15-room, 7,000-square-foot home boasts six bedrooms, panoramic views of Central Park and three terraces.
However, its grandeur has been marred by fire damage from a mysterious blaze that erupted as FBI agents arrested Guo last March on charges related to a billion-dollar fraud scheme.
Sources previously told The Post that fire may have been set remotely, adding an air of intrigue to a property that had allegedly been outfitted to record its guests.
In July, a Manhattan court convicted the self-exiled businessman of defrauding his online followers through an investment and cryptocurrency scheme.
Part of the funds were used to purchase a $26.5 million mansion in New Jersey — a property also now for sale — and a $37 million yacht. He was found guilty on nine of the 12 criminal charges, including racketeering and money laundering.
Guo in his living room at the New York City penthouse photographed in 2018. Helayne SeidmanHis sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025, with the possibility of decades in prison or deportation back to China, where he faces additional charges.
Despite some restorative work to address the fire damage, which appears in the listing’s marketing images, the penthouse remains in “white box” condition. Guo, also known as Ho Wan Kwok or Miles Kwok, had hoped to flip the property soon after buying it.
A breakfast room at the penthouse before the blaze. Helayne Seidman
The living room before the fire. Helayne Seidman
A photo of the current listing shows how the penthouse looks today following the fire that destroyed the residence. Sotheby's International RealtySerena Boardman of Sotheby’s International Realty holds that listing. The brokerage didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, across the Hudson, Guo’s 50,000-square-foot Crocker Mansion in Mahwah, New Jersey, has been relisted for $33 million, according to NJ.com.
Guo purchased the sprawling estate — originally built in the early 1900s by railway heir George Crocker — in 2021 for that $26.5 million sum, making it New Jersey’s priciest home sale of that year.
The exterior of the New Jersey property. Evan Joseph Studio
Its interiors are nothing short of opulent. Evan Joseph Studio
Another view of the double-height living area. Evan Joseph Studio
Handsome perks include beamed ceilings. Evan Joseph Studio
The dining room. Evan Joseph StudioSpanning 12 acres along the Ramapo Mountains, the brick megamansion features 58 rooms, including 21 bedrooms, 29 bathrooms, a spa, a billiards hall and even a tearoom.
Outside, the grounds offer a tennis court, fountains and an eight-car garage.
The estate was seized by federal authorities last year as part of their case against Guo.
Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese businessman, sits as he appears on charges of leading a complex conspiracy to defraud his online followers out of more than $1 billion at a courthouse in New York on March 15, 2023 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERSWhile the current seller remains unclear, it’s likely still under government control.
If it sells for its $33 million asking price, the deal would equate to roughly $660 per square foot.
It is privately listed by Diane Cookson, Fox & Stokes, and Carl Gambino of Compass
The reps also did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the listing.
