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07/13/2025
UK man pleads not guilty in New York to $99 million wine fraud
Reuters
NEW YORK, July 11 (Reuters) - A British man pleaded not guilty on Friday in New York to charges he helped mastermind a nearly $100 million fraud whose victims invested in loans meant for wealthy wine collectors -- except that neither the collectors nor their wine existed.
James Wellesley, 58, entered his plea to wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy charges before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Levy in Brooklyn.
Wellesley, also known as Andrew Fuller, was ordered detained without bail at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, after unsuccessfully fighting extradition from Britain.
A lawyer for Wellesley did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Stephen Burton, 60, another Briton charged with running the fraud, is being held at the same Brooklyn jail. He was extradited from Morocco to face the same charges, and pleaded not guilty in December 2023.
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