British Alien James Wellesley Sentenced to 10 Years for Nearly $100M Ponzi Scheme via Fake Wine Company
Summary
James Andrew Wellesley, a British national, was sentenced on April 20, 2026 to ten years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution for his role in a nearly $100 million Ponzi scheme operated through Bordeaux Cellars, a fraudulent wine investment company. HSI New York joined the FBI New York office in investigating the scheme, which targeted approximately 140 individuals worldwide, including 71 in the U.S., 21 in the U.K., and 10 in Hong Kong. From at least June 2017 through February 2019, Wellesley posed as CFO and Operations Manager at Bordeaux Cellars, soliciting investors at conferences and networking events with promises of regular interest payments from high net worth wine collectors.
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What changed
James Andrew Wellesley, a British citizen, was sentenced in U.S. federal court to 10 years imprisonment and ordered to pay $1 million restitution after being convicted of wire fraud conspiracy for his role in a nearly $100 million Ponzi scheme. The scheme operated through Bordeaux Cellars, a London and Hong Kong-registered firm that posed as a wine investment company. Victims received purported interest payments sourced from new investment funds fraudulently obtained, a classic Ponzi structure. Wellesley was extradited from the U.K. in July 2025 and has two prior criminal convictions there for false accounting and mortgage fraud.
Financial services firms and investors should note that this enforcement action involved cross-border cooperation between HSI New York, FBI New York, and international partners, resulting in extradition and prosecution under U.S. wire fraud statutes. The scale of the fraud (nearly $100 million from 140 global victims) and the sophisticated marketing at conferences and networking events highlight the ongoing risk of investment schemes in alternative asset classes, particularly wine and collectibles.
Penalties
10 years imprisonment; $1 million restitution
Archived snapshot
Apr 23, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
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HSI Announces Sentencing of British Alien for Nearly $100 Million Ponzi Scheme Involving a Fake Wine Company
Release Date: April 23, 2026
James Wellesley will serve ten years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy
WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) announced the ten-year sentencing of James Andrew Wellesley for his role in a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded investors of nearly $100 million.
In July of 2025, HSI New York joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) New York office in a joint investigation of the London and Hong Kong registered firm Bordeaux Cellars. James Wellesley and his partner posed as executives at Bordeaux Cellars and raised nearly $100 million by promising investors regular interest payments from high net worth wine collectors. This scheme targeted nearly 140 individuals located around the world, including 71 people in the U.S., 21 in the U.K., and 10 in Hong Kong.
“Anyone who steals from Americans will be held accountable. This fake wine company was a $100 million Ponzi scheme,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “We are thankful for the cooperation with FBI’s New York office in the investigation and sentencing of this foreign fraudster.”
James Andrew Wellesley
From at least June 2017 through February of 2019, Wellesley represented himself as Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager at Bordeaux Cellars. During this time, Wellesley and his partners solicited investors at conferences and networking events.
Victims who unknowingly invested in the fraud scheme received purported interest payments sourced from new investment funds fraudulently obtained by Bordeaux Cellars.
Wellesley has two prior criminal convictions in the U.K., including for false accounting and a prison stint for mortgage fraud. He was extradited to the U.S. in July of 2025.
On April 20, 2026, Wellesley was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in forfeiture.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Last Updated: 04/23/2026 Was this page helpful? Yes No This page was not helpful because the content has too little information has too much information is confusing is out-of-date
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