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📍 Brooklyn, NY — July 11, 2025
British national James Wellesley, 56, has been extradited to the United States to face federal charges in connection with a $99 million wine investment fraud allegedly orchestrated through the company Bordeaux Cellars. He was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court and ordered detained pending trial.
🕵️‍♂️ Alleged Scheme and Charges
Wellesley and co-defendant Stephen Burton—extradited from Morocco in 2023—are accused of:
- Wire fraud conspiracy
- Wire fraud
- Money laundering conspiracy
Between June 2017 and February 2019, the pair allegedly solicited investments by claiming Bordeaux Cellars brokered loans to high-net-worth wine collectors, secured by rare wine collections. Prosecutors say these representations were fabricated:
- The wine collectors did not exist
- Bordeaux Cellars did not hold any wine collateral
- Investor funds were used for personal expenses and fraudulent interest payments
đź’¬ Official Statements
- U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella: “We will not rest in our efforts to seek justice for victims of fraud.”
- FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia: “Their alleged deceit spread across years and continents.”
- HSI Special Agent Ricky Patel: “This scheme exploited the unsuspecting public, including New Yorkers, for selfish enrichment”
📦 International Cooperation The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated Wellesley’s extradition with UK authorities. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Weintraub of the Business and Securities Fraud Section.
If convicted, both defendants face up to 20 years in prison.
For more, see the Justice Department’s official release, Forbes analysis, and ICE New York statement.
