James Andrew Wellesley was sentenced to ten years in prison for his role in a Ponzi-like scheme that defrauded investors of nearly $100 million, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced on Apr. 23.
The sentencing highlights ongoing efforts by U.S. authorities to hold accountable those who commit large-scale financial crimes targeting Americans and international investors. The case involved a fake wine company called Bordeaux Cellars, which operated out of London and Hong Kong.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Wellesley and his partner posed as executives at Bordeaux Cellars and raised nearly $100 million by promising regular interest payments from high net worth wine collectors. The scheme targeted almost 140 individuals worldwide, including 71 people in the United States, 21 in the United Kingdom, 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.”
Wellesley represented himself as Chief Financial Officer and Operations Manager at Bordeaux Cellars between June 2017 and February 2019, soliciting investors at conferences and networking events. Victims received purported interest payments that were actually sourced from new investment funds obtained through fraudulent means.
Wellesley has two prior criminal convictions in the United Kingdom for false accounting and mortgage fraud. He was extradited to the United States in July of 2025 before being sentenced on April 20, 2026 to ten years imprisonment and ordered to pay $1 million in forfeiture.
