Josh Wander, the founder of 777 Partners, a collapsed investment firm that was “once one of the biggest accumulators of European soccer clubs,” was charged with “fraud and other counts” in an indictment made public by U.S. prosecutors on Thursday. Wander “drew scrutiny” after buying soccer teams on three continents through 777 Partners, a firm he co-founded. According to the indictment, unsealed in Manhattan federal court, Wander “fabricated financial documents and made misleading claims in an effort to ‘defraud lenders and investors’ of as much as” $500 million. In all, Wander was “charged with wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes.” According to the FBI, 777 Partners CFO Damien Alfalla pleaded guilty on Tuesday to an “unspecified charge and is cooperating with the government” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16).
777 Partners founder charged with fraud
