Fire breaks out at Manhattan hotel after arrest of Steve Bannon's Chinese 'fraudster' friend

He was detained at the hotel after allegedly scamming his online followers out of $1bn then buying a mansion, yacht, Ferrari and 'even two $36,000 mattresses' The FBI is probing whether the blaze is connected to the arrest of Guo, who has links to right wing firebrand Steve Bannon A billionaire Chinese fraud suspect's $32 million Manhattan apartment burst into flames as FBI agents were combing it for evidence hours after arresting its owner on suspicion of a $1 billion scam. He's now charged with orchestrating a $1 billion fraud and splurging the cash on luxuries including a yacht, mansion and $36,000 mattresses Smoke billowed from the upper floors of the luxury hotel as firefighters rushed to the scene hours after Guo Wengui was arrested The FBI is probing whether the two-alarm fire is linked to the arrest of Guo Wengui on charges of masterminding a $1 billion fraud Guo is expected to appear in court this afternoon on 12 charges linked to the massive scam. In 2018, Guo linked up with Bannon for a gimmick attempt to overthrow China's communist government Prosecutors have seized Guo's $37 million "Lady May" yacht, where former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was arrested aboard on unrelated charges in 2020 Prosecutors released pictures of a 50,000-square-foot mansion in New Jersey that Guo allegedly bought using cash from the fraud A custom-built Bugatti Veyron supercar worth $4.4 million that's been seized by authorities who say Guo orchestrated a $1bn fraud Prosecutors in New York say Guo made false claims to his hundreds of thousands of online followers about 'investment and money-making opportunities'. Guo was spotted at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in December 2018 in exclusive pictures published by DailyMail.com The exiled Chinese billionaire, pictured at Mar-a-Lago in 2018, filed for bankruptcy last year and claimed he's worth less than $100,000 - even though he lives in a $37 million apartment Guo earned billions through business ventures in China before he fled to the US in 2014 to flee arrest on allegations of bribery, kidnapping, money laundering, fraud and rape.