In 2021, he forfeited NZ$68 million to the New Zealand government as part of a settlement over pyramid scheme activities, the country's largest forfeiture of the proceeds of crime.
[2] In 2013, Gong became a deputy director on the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and was part of a 2014 Chinese delegation led by vice premier Wang Yang to Finland and Slovenia.
[2] Gong and his company, Edward Enterprise International Group Inc., faced criminal charges in Canada over the scheme.
In February 2021, as part of a settlement agreement, Gong pleaded guilty in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (SCJ) on behalf of his company to forging documents and pyramid scheme selling and had his four personal charges withdrawn.
As part of the settlement, the SCJ fined Gong's company, $756,000, imposed a $229,500 victim surcharge and ordered $15 million to be paid to the Canada Revenue Agency.
[2] In June 2021, Gong forfeited NZ$68 million and some Auckland-based property to the New Zealand government as part of a settlement over pyramid scheme activities in the country.
[5] In 2023, Gong ran for Mayor of Toronto, with campaign promises including hiring 1,000 new police officers, cutting property taxes by $1,000 and making public transit free to ride for riders aged over 55 or under 18.
[6] During the campaign, media queried the quantity and cost of his election advertising,[7][6] with ads posted on television, buses and subway stations.