https://fortune.com/2025/07/24/bordeaux-cellars-wine-scam-james-wellesley-stephen-burton/
Stephen Burton, founder of Bordeaux Cellars, pled guilty to federal charges on Thursday after he and his business partner, James Wellesley, were accused of running a fraudulent wine lending business that ripped off more than 100 victims across the world.
Two childhood friends have found themselves at the center of a multimillion-dollar fraud prosecution in New York after what started as a luxury wine lending business promising lucrative returns cost investors nearly $100 million.
This may be a dumb question, but, how much of a market is there to borrow wine? Presumably if it is lent, then it should be returned, which means it can’t have been consumed.