James Wellesley will serve ten years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy
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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