Jail for cold-caller who scammed elderly wine investors – Jonothan Piper gets just desserts

Insolvency Service press release (30th September 2016): 

Jonothan Piper, from Wanstead, has been sentenced to five and a half years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to one count of fraudulent trading, two counts of money laundering and one count of cheating HM Revenue and Customs of tax at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 22 August 2016.

Piper, 30, who was the director of Embassy Wine (UK) Limited and previously traded as a land and diamonds salesman, pleaded guilty to defrauding investors out of hundreds of thousands of pounds and to failing to pay tax and National Insurance on his earnings for six years.

Investors complained that they had been mis-sold expensive wine collections and had either not received the wine they were promised or were deceived in respect of the expected returns. Many investors were then persuaded to sell their wine collections to Piper’s company, but did not receive the promised payment. An investigation by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) found that the self-professed fine-wine broker had not traded legitimately at all and had set up the company simply to con investors out of approximately £300,000.

BEIS discovered that HMRC was also conducting an investigation into Piper, and the matter was jointly prosecuted with the CPS. Piper also pocketed more than £51,000 in Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from his undeclared earnings, between 2008 and 2014.

Deputy Chief Investigation Officer Ian West from BEIS said:

Mr Piper cynically attempted to dissolve his company Embassy Wine (UK) Limited without notifying his creditors of his intention or complying with the three month trading restriction prior to any application for the striking off/dissolution of a company, to mask his fraudulent activity. It was established that he had defrauded his companies’ unsuspecting clients of in excess of £295,000 in a wine investment scam carried out, in conjunction with other frauds against the revenue to fund his expensive lifestyle. He now has to face the serious consequences of his criminal lifestyle.

This case should serve as a warning to those that seek to utilise the Insolvency regime to further fraudulent activity, that the BEIS Criminal Enforcement Directorate, will with law enforcement partners, ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted with the full force of the law.

Notes to editors

Jonothan Jeremiah Piper - date of birth 8 April 1986 - of Foxglove Gardens, Wanstead, pleaded guilty to: Acting with intent to prejudice or defraud HM Revenue and Customs, Fraudulent Trading, contrary to section 993(1) of the Companies Act 2006, Converting Criminal Property, contrary to section 327(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000 and Converting Criminal Property, contrary to section 327(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000, at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 22 August 2016.

He was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment for defrauding HMRC and 3.5 years’ consecutive imprisonment for the fraudulent trading offence. He was sentenced to 15 months’ concurrent imprisonment for the two counts of money laundering.

On 17 November 2015 Mr Piper was disqualified as a director for 11 years.

Jack Williams, legal adviser – who was his mysterious client?

 

 The investdrinks post cited by 'Jack Williams' 

as being defamatory to his mysterious client

Starting on 30th May 2016 and ending the same day I had an unproductive correspondence with Jack Williams, who described himself as 'legal adviser'.

The first message from Jack Williams, legal adviser: 

'Dear Admin/Editor,

This is to bring your kind attention towards a very serious matter. A defamatory content 

http://investdrinks-blog.blogspot.in/2010/02/bordeaux-wine-company-anthony-grant-and.html has been published by you on your website http://investdrinks-blog.blogspot.in/ that is creating a lot of problem for my client. My client had no relation with this issue. 

My client has been unnecessarily dragged into it just due to its name and fame. The appearance of such type of content online is defaming my client on regular basis personally as well as professionally. And, as per the law my client has complete right to get it erased permanently from your website and google search result as well. 

Hence, its a request to get it erased/delete/take down asap

Defamatory link need to be deleted are: 

http://investdrinks-blog.blogspot.in/2010/02/bordeaux-wine-company-anthony-grant-and.html 

Your quick action and response will be highly appreciated.

Thank you

Jack Williams

legal adviser'

Williams never revealed who he was 'representing' nor what was deemed defamatory in my post of 26th February 2010. He wanted to know the source of the information that Boington & Fredericks had been closed in the public interest and that both Grant and Achom had spent time in prison for an EU fraud. When Williams deemed that Companies House and London's Southwark Crown Court as sources didn't satisfy him, I decided that Williams was an internet troll and that it would be foolish to spend anymore time on him.  

Williams sent two further messages, which I ignored:  

Last messages from Jack Williams – 15th and 16th June 2016:

On Wed, Jun 15, 2016 at 1:04 PM, jack williams <jack.willams0145@gmail.com> wrote:

'As I stated in my previous email again I reinstate that my client had no relation with this issue specially the way it has been written in your post and hence I asked you about the source you have used in this write up so that I can also see its facts. But you didn't provide me the same.

Yes, the details in investdrinks post are in the public domain and hence its a serious matter for my client. I think you are unable to provide me enough facts/proofs/source behind this post and hence I believe that the matter should be taken to court. You will be notified about this case's hearing.

Thanks'

'Hello Jim

Hope you are doing good as per our  last conversation against blog article without reference link or without evidence we have file legal cyber bulling case against your and for legal notice we need your postal address so please share your complete address so that i can share legal notice with your soon.

Regards'

 It seems clear that the aim of Williams or whoever created his persona wanted details about the history of Frederick (Freddy) Achom and/or Boington Anthony Grant removed from the net. 

It is possible that this attempt to have my February 26th 2010 post removed as part of a more comprehensive effort to cleanse the net of Achom and Grant's history. Was 'Jack Williams' linked in some way to this story of fake DMCA notices?
https://webactivism.com/apw-asset-management-investigation-for-fraud-impersonation-and-perjury-fake-dmca-12185604/

Just a coincidence that Frederick Achom was facing an appearance at Southwark Crown Court in late July 2016 for breaching his director disqualification by running now bust APW Asset Management Ltd? 

Frederick Achom was given a six month suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay nearly £1 million within three months for his admitted breach of his disqualification. If Achom fails to pay the fine he faces up to five years in jail. Details here and here.   

Heartless, parasite Jonothan Piper to be jailed for wine investment fraud

Embassy Wine UK Ltd website:

'We have great passion for the product let us share 

the knowledge of wealth and guidance to building 

a portfolio of the most sort after wines. Enabling an attractive 

and healthy return on your investment.' 

 

On Tuesday 23^rd August 2016 30-year-old Jonothan Piper admitted at Snaresbrook Crown Court to defrauding his investor clients and HMRC (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs).

Piper, who posed as a wine broker, preyed on the elderly and vulnerable – cold calling and persuading them transfer their wine to his company Embassy Wine UK Ltd. Piper charged an advance fee for sales for ‘legal costs’. Once the wine was transferred Piper would become impossible to contact and the duped investor would never receive their promised money.

The fraud netted Piper at least £300,000 with one investor losing £150,000. Another investor, an elderly woman who had already been a victim of World Wide Wines Ltd, was persuaded to buy a further £33,000 worth of wine from Embassy. This included a case of 2004 Haut Brion for £10,000 in 2012, which could have been bought elsewhere for £2400. The salesman claimed it should have cost £12,000! 

Embassy offered to sell her portfolio for £60,000 – charging £20,000 in ‘legal fees’ reimbursable in seven days.   

HMRC was defrauded for £51,104 as Piper failed to declare any income between 2008 and 2014.

Embassy Wines UK Ltd was founded on 28^th June 2011. It was wound up in the public interest on 3^rd December 2014. Piper was the sole director and shareholder with just £1 of share capital. 
Piper has been jailed on Judges Remand and will be sentenced on 16^th September 2016. I hope that Judge Louise Kamill will out Piper away for a good stretch and that Piper will be forced to repay his victims, whose life savings he looted and spent on high living including nearly £90,000 on a BMW X6 and a Range Rover Sport. Piper's expertise lay not as he claimed in fine wine but in trousering his elderly and vulnerable clients' money.  

On 17^th November 2015 Piper was banned for being a UK director for 11 years.  

Over the past three years recovery room wine investment/advance fee frauds have become increasingly common. Victims of previous wine investment scam companies are contacted by new firms and offered deals on their wine portfolios at well above market price.
Some companies also make bogus claims to have taken over liquidations from legitimate companies like Grant Thornton and ‘found’ investors missing wines abroad. Invariably investors are again left empty handed.  

It is good to see that some of these heartless fraudsters – vile individuals who exploit vulnerable people – are being prosecuted.