A British businessman accused of orchestrating a $100 million wine investment fraud has lost his legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States. Andrew Fuller, 58, will be sent to New York to stand trial on charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Fuller, also known as James Wellesley, allegedly ran a fraudulent scheme through Bordeaux Cellars, a company that claimed to connect investors with wealthy wine collectors. U.S. prosecutors say that between 2017 and 2019, Fuller and co-defendant Stephen Burton deceived investors into funding non-existent luxury wine deals, effectively operating a Ponzi-style scam.
Burton, who was extradited in 2023, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in New York. The U.S. government argued that the financial damage occurred primarily in the United States and that both men should be tried together.
Fuller’s appeal to block extradition was dismissed by London’s High Court, with the judge emphasizing the scale of the alleged fraud and its international impact. Fuller may still seek permission to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.