A fraudster who used celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s name to lure investors has been jailed.

Steven Crump of Essex, England, cheated investors out of £74,000 by telling them TV chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver was involved in a non-existent company called Virtual Vineyards.

Crump, his father-in-law Bruce Watkins, and Roland Antony, a British businessman based in Barcelona, established phony stock brokerage Gilberts and sold shares in the fake wine project at £3.50 apiece.

Crump was charged with seven counts of fraud, sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to repay the investors. His accomplices received suspended sentences.

Written by Maggie Rosen

Maggie Rosen
Maggie Rosen
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & Editor

Maggie Rosen is a wine journalist, editor and author, hailing from New York but based in London. Aside from Decanter, she has contributed to the Financial Times, The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine and Spirit Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The World of Fine Wine and Meininger's Wine Business International. She is also a member of the Circle of Wine Writers.