Fire marshals have been called in to investigate what could be a suspicious blaze that sparked inside a white glove Upper East Side hotel Wednesday afternoon, FDNY officials told Upper East Site. The fire sparked on 18th floor of the Sherry-Netherland Hotel the around noon today, just hours after a Chinese billionaire linked to former White House adviser Steve Bannon was arrested at the same location by the feds on fraud charges.
Firefighters arrived within minutes to find heavy fire and smoke on the 18th floor of the 37-story high rise — located at 781 Fifth Avenue, at the corner of East 59th Street. Billionaire Guo Wengui purchased a penthouse apartment there for $67 million back in 2015 and was taken into custody by FBI agents Wednesday morning.
ALSO READ | ‘Worst Boyfriend on the Upper East Side’ Indicted in $1.8 Million Romance Scam: Prosecutors
Law enforcement sources have confirmed to both NBC and ABC News that FBI agents were inside Guo’s condo when the fire started and were actually the ones to call 911 for help. Sources added to NBC that the fire sparked from a light fixture.
The flames took more than an hour and a half to bring to bring under control, FDNY officials say.
The 52-year-old exiled Chinese businessman-turned-defendant stands accused of orchestrating a vast conspiracy to defraud his own online followers to the tune of one billion dollars — promising giant returns on investments but keeping the money for himself, according to federal prosecutors.
Guo faces an eleven count indictment and “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 U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.
ALSO READ | Group Attacks & Stabs Man in Upper East Side Subway Station
Steve Bannon, former Chief Strategist in the Trump White House, was arrested on Guo’s yacht back in on his own unrelated fraud charges back in 2020.
Upper East Site reached out to the FBI’s New York Press Office but did not hear back by time of publication.
For updates around the clock, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook
