Wine store owner sentenced for $45M Ponzi scheme
John Fox, who confessed to running a wine Ponzi scheme from his Berkeley store, Premier Cru, was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for his crimes.
Wine crime
Top Stories
Ponzi mastermind’s help may lead to short jail time
John Fox, the former owner of Premier Cru, was not a very good criminal, according to the government, but his cooperation with them may see him served fewer years in prison.
Could Premier Cru sale help wine counterfeiters?
An expert in counterfeiting is concerned that the sale of old bottles and wooden crates from Premier Cru will help wine counterfeiters.
Recent stories
At Premier Cru auction, a peek into major wine fraud
The contents of the Premier Cru office and warehouse in Berkeley will be auctioned off on Saturday, and they reveal much about John Fox, the former owner accused of a Ponzi scheme.
‘Tangled Vines’, wine’s dark side, now in paperback
The book, by Berkeleyside co-founder Frances Dinkelspiel, tells the story of Berkeley native Mark Anderson who committed the largest ever crime involving wine.
Premier Cru owner used coffee shop as hook-up HQ
John Fox, a lanky 66-year-old with fading red hair, used to meet scantily-dressed 20-year-olds at least two or three times a week at ArtĂs Coffee on Berkeley’s Fourth Street.
Premier Cru owner spent $900K on dates met online
For his combined crimes, John Fox probably faces a maximum of six and a half years in prison and is on the hook to pay $45 million in restitution.
Premier Cru owner will plead guilty to fraud
John E. Fox could face as much as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for defrauding his clients over a period of six years.
How did Berkeley wine store accrue $70M in debt?
The owner of Premier Cru purchased much of his fine wine on the gray market.
Premier Cru lawsuit: Some customers to get refunds
The bankruptcy trustee liquidating the wine store Premier Cru has reached a settlement to pay disgruntled customers pennies on the dollar for the wine they purchased but never received.
Bankrupt Premier Cru not run in ‘reliable fashion’
An analysis of the books of the Berkeley wine retailer shows that it collected $45M in wine orders but had no bottles associated with those orders in its warehouse.
Premier Cru owner had penchant for expensive cars
The Berkeley wine company John Fox co-founded with Hector Ortega is in the middle of bankruptcy proceedings.
