In 2023, New Jersey’s historic Mahwah-based Crocker Mansion was seized from a billionaire fraudster. The property officially returned to the market this December, and it is awaiting a new owner with 2025 right around the corner.
History of the Crocker Property
The Crocker Mansion is a 120-year-old 675 Ramapo Valley Road estate. The brick property boasts 58 rooms, four stories, and nearly 50,000 square feet of living space on 12.5 acres spanning the Ramapo Mountains. Carl Gamino Real Estate and Diane Cookson of Compass New Jersey (NJ) Real Estate, alongside the Fox & Stokes team, are privately listing the Mahwah-bound palace for $33 million. The mansion remains one of the city’s most expensive.
Also known as the Crocker-McMillan Mansion, the NJ property was initially constructed between 1901 and 1907 by George Crocker, a railway heir. The estate features 29 bathrooms, 21 bedrooms, a large hall and dining room, a library with gold leaf decorations, marble staircases, an indoor sauna and spa, a tearoom, a billiards hall, and an at-home movie theater.
Additionally, the property has several fountains, an eight-car garage, and a tennis court.
Seizing the Crocker Property
Crocker Mansion is an architectural work of art only 25 miles outside New York City’s bustling boroughs. As it becomes available for serious purchasers, the listing calls it “A truly magnificent and rare estate.” In April 2023, its previous owner, Ho Wan Kwok, seized the luxurious property.
Ho Wan Kwok, better known as Miles Guo, previously owned the Crocker Mansion for nearly two years. Guo was charged with being the mastermind behind an intricate scheme where he allegedly conned thousands of his internet followers out of over $1 billion. Federal court unsealed an indictment with 12 counts, charging the con artist and his backer, Kin Ming (William) Je, with wire fraud, securities fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering.
Guo acquired the Crocker property in late December 2021 for $26 million, making it the most expensive home to sell throughout NJ that year.
Along with the property, a Bösendorfer grand piano, a 98-inch television, and several exorbitant sports cars were also seized from Guo. The federal government plucked hundreds of millions of dollars from the fraudster.
Details of the Crocker Mansion’s Private Listing
Perched on Ramapo Valley Road, the house is now for sale at $33 million. According to Law 360, Compass NJ Real Estate was selected as the listing agent as a component of Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
An online description notes that the property “has been meticulously restored, offering approximately 50,000 square feet of spectacular living space and more than 12 acres of marvelous grounds framed by the Ramapo Mountains.”
In addition to the mansion’s grandiose reception rooms, including the Great Hall, Tea Room, Library, and Formal Dining Room, the property offers a chef-style kitchen, in-house cinema, indoor lap pool, massage room, wine cellar, arcade, outdoor pool with a cabana, gorgeous gardens accompanied by two fountains, and much more.
The listing also states that the home extends “interior design and furnishings by the world’s top designers and artisans.”
Crocker Mansion Prepped for New Hands
A local news outlet recently reported that Guo’s NYC penthouse is also on the market for $21 million. Just hours after Guo’s arrest, the penthouse mysteriously caught on fire.
In July 2024, Miles Guo was found guilty by a jury on nine counts of criminal fraud, racketeering, and conspiracy. According to Courthouse News Service, the jury acquitted him on three counts.
With the Crocker Mansion on the market for a hefty $33 million, many wonder who will acquire the NJ property next and what their plans are for the historic estate moving forward.
