Steve Bannon, ex-Trump adviser and campaign chief executive, was arrested on Wednesday, aboard the Lady May, a 152′ aluminum luxury yacht, owned by exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui. The yacht was cruising in Long Island Sound near Westport, CT, when it was boarded by federal postal inspectors and special agents from the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan.  Bannon told others he had been cruising aboard the yacht for months.

Bannon has been charged with defrauding donors to a private fund-raising effort called We Build the Wall, which was intended to bolster one of the president’s signature initiatives: erecting a barrier on the Mexican border. Bannon is accused of stealing more than $1 million from donors.

Steve Bannon is a business partner of the yacht’s owner, Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Kwok. Guo is reported to be one of China’s most-wanted, accused of myriad crimes by the Chinese government, including paying bribes and sexual assault. He maintains his innocence, saying the charges are politically motivated.

Guo is currently seeking political asylum in the United States, where he reportedly avoided deportation by the Trump administration after the president learned Guo was a member of Mar-a-Lago. The Miami Herald reports that some allege that Guo is, in fact, a Chinese spy.  

The  Lady May is a 46.22 m / 151′8″  406 gross ton luxury motor yacht., built by Feadship in 2014. With a beam of 9 m and a draft of 2.2 m, she has an aluminum hull and aluminum superstructure. She is powered by Caterpillar engines of 1900 hp each giving her a maximum speed of 19 knots and a cruising speed of 14 knots. Lady May‘s maximum range is estimated at 3000 nautical miles. The motor yacht can accommodate 10 guests in 5 cabins with an interior design by Redman Whiteley Dixon and an exterior design by Dubois. The yacht is currently for sale for a reported $28 million.

Lady May On The Hudson