Chinese tycoon accused of secretly controlling Gettr to promote crypto
The former Chinese billionaire behind the ill-fated Himalaya exchange and stablecoin reportedly pulled the strings at right-wing media outlet Gettr, using the platform to promote cryptocurrencies and conservative propaganda. This is according to former Gettr employees who spoke to The Washington Post.
Guo Wengui was a known Gettr investor but, as of last Sunday, it’s now apparent how big a role he had to play in financing, hiring, and making content decisions for the platform.
Former Trump aide Jason Miller launched Gettr in 2021 and describes it as a champion “of free speech,” and says it “rejects cancel-culture, and provides a best-in-class technology platform for the marketplace of ideas.”
Miller previously stated that Guo had no authority in Gettr but anonymous Gettr employees told The Post:
- Guo would frequent the Gettr offices on the same floor as a number of his other businesses.
- Miller reported to Guo and his financial manager, William Je, not the other way around.
- Contractor Orbit, which helped Gettr with content moderation, was keen to delete any posts critical of Guo.
- Many on the Gettr staff were Guo acolytes.
- Guo pushed users to the Captiol riots and claimed the violence on the day was a result of ANTIFA.
It wasn’t to last and Guo was arrested on March 15 this year. He faces a raft of charges from money laundering to wire fraud as part of a “$1 billion dollar fraud conspiracy.”
Himalaya Coin to Gettr Coin
Guo also played a role in introducing Gettr Coin to the platform. The coin was pitched as a way for users to be rewarded on the site. ‘GETTR’ was offered to users at 10 cents a piece and could be sent to other wallets on the Gettr site.
Read more: ‘Billionaire’ crypto founder bankrupt 4 months after cigar-laced promo vid
However, as Gettr’s site describes, “The coins do not have monetary value and cannot be redeemed from the platform.”
It would make sense for Guo to take charge of Gettr coin given his experience with Himalaya Coin and his own crypto exchange.
Security filings from his arrest estimate that Guo fraudulently made $267 million through the promotion and sale of his Himalaya Coin in October 2021. Je helped fake the buying of a Ferrari through the Himalaya exchange in order to create a sense of legitimacy in the project.
Just one month before this, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Guo and Steve Bannon with unregistered securities offerings, one of which is a cryptocurrency known as G-coin. The SEC ordered them to cough up $539 million.
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Update 1:40 PM UTC, March 28: Clarified allegations in headline.