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Credit: Photo by Biljana Martinic on Unsplash
(Image credit: Photo by Biljana Martinic on Unsplash)

William Lamont Holder, 54, stole between $550,000 and $1.5m of wine from his clients, who were mostly private collectors and businesses, over a five-year period, according to the US attorney’s office in Maryland.

Holder, of Hanover in Maryland, faces an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of wire fraud.

The attorney’s office said that Holder defrauded fine wine collectors via his ownership of Safe Harbour Wine Storage.

He collected monthly payments from customers in return for storing their ‘upscale wines’, but was in reality trying to sell their prized bottles to retailers around the country, including to retailers in Napa, according to the attorney’s office.

‘After the buyers selected the bottles they wanted to purchase, Holder boxed and shipped the wine, and sent his bank account information,’ it said.

‘Holder kept the proceeds from the sales and spent it on personal expenses,’ it added.

If the plea agreement between Holder and the US justice department is accepted by the court, Holder will be sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.

A sentencing hearing before US district judge Catherine C Blake was scheduled for 31 July.

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.