{"api":{"host":"https:\/\/pinot.decanter.com","authorization":"Bearer Mjc4ZjkxZTk1N2MyMGQwMWJhYzAxOGZmOGJkYzJkNWNjODM5NzA5MGUwZTFmMTczYjA2YTk0ZjNmNTU0N2FiNA","version":"2.0"},"piano":{"sandbox":"false","aid":"6qv8OniKQO","rid":"RJXC8OC","offerId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","offerTemplateId":"OFPHMJWYB8UK","wcTemplateId":"OTOW5EUWVZ4B"}}

Wine conman jailed

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

Latest Wine News